It might tell a lot about America's perspective about eating to say that we're the culture that invented competitive eating contests. That said, the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Competition in Coney Island is one of my favorite events, mostly for the spectacle. The contest is kind of disgusting, but the announcer and the list of the Competitive Eater's lists of accomplishments are amazing. I love that this is listed as a "sport" - I guess there has to be some kind of physical preparation. Lord.Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, 26, is a 6ft, 218lb engineering student, most recognized as an American Competitive Eater. Currently, he is ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. He has competed in many food eating competitions around the world. The current world record titles he holds are as follows:
- Pork Ribs: 9.8 pounds pork rib meat in 12 minutes at John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino Resort during the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off in Sparks, Nevada on August 27, 2008
- Steak: 4.5 pounds of steak, plus sides, in 8 minutes, 52 seconds at Big Texan Steak Ranch on March 24, 2008
- Asparagus: 8.6 pounds of tempura-fried asparagus at the World Deep Fried Asparagus Eating Championship in Stockton, California, on April 26, 2008
- Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs and buns (short form): 68 hot dog and buns in 10 minutes during the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY on July 4, 2009
- Chicken Wings: 241 wings at Wing Bowl XVI in Philadelphia, on February 1, 2008
- Krystal burgers: 103 burgers at the Krystal Square Off in Chattanooga, TN on October 28, 2007.
