CHIPMUNKING: An end-ofcompetition strategy when eaters fill their mouth with food to increase the total count. STOMACH TRAINING: Eating large amounts of cabbage, watermelon, or water to stretch the stomach.
JOE SCROFANI
DUNKING: When eaters dunk food in water or another liquid to make it softer and easier to chew and swallow. PICNIC STYLE RULES: A competition that follows these rules does not allow dunking. SOLOMON TECHNIQUE: Breaking a hot dog in half to fit the entire thing into the mouth at once. HDB: An abbreviation for “hot dogs and buns,” usually used as a unit of measurement for each hot dog and bun eaten in competition. FAT BELT THEORY: The idea that excess body fat is a disadvantage because it limits the stomach’s flexibility. ROMAN INCIDENT: Simply put, throwing up. TABLE-ENDER: A competitor who won’t likely win and usually sits at the end of a table.
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such as chicken wings, burgers, or hot dogs—go down easiest. Another factor is what comes with the food. Eating a stack of pancakes with syrup, for example, will be a lot easier than eating dry flapjacks.
THE AFTERMATH “Imagine Thanksgiving dinner, thrice over, in 10 minutes.” That’s how Stonie describes the post-competition feeling. “I feel like a walking water balloon from the water retention and the salt.” What goes in must come out. For a speed-eating contest of, say, 20 chicken wings, that’s no big deal. But after eating as many hot dogs as possible, it’s not enjoyable. “Once I went to California for a hot dogeating contest. My flight was right after the contest. I had eaten 19 hot dogs, which put me in fourth place, so I didn’t even get a prize,” says Cortina. “The hot dogs were sitting in my stomach, and I had to sit in the middle of the plane. I was uncomfortable the whole time. I had to go to the bathroom three or four times, so, needless to say, the people next to me were pretty annoyed.” But discomfort is worth it for the most important part of any competition: the awards. With many prizes up to $5,000, it’s no surprise that cash is a driving factor for many eaters. In fact, Stonie has made so much from his eating feats that he considers competitive eating a part-time job. But even a few hundred extra dollars is worth it for skilled eaters. For Scrofani, it’s not as much about the money as it is for his love of food and the thrill of the sport. “It definitely makes for a great
icebreaker,” he says. “I can’t tell you how many times I bring it up to people and they’re just shocked.” Besides the disgusting digestion, competitive eaters luckily don’t face many other health problems. Stonie, who’s studying nutritional sciences at Mission College in Santa Clara, Calif., says there may be some short-term dangers. “You offset your body’s balance, like in glucose levels, potassium levels, or dehydration,” he says. “Fortunately, the body is smart and has lots of ways to prevent this, such as slowed digestion.” As for the long term? It’s hard to say—there aren’t any scientific studies on record to show negative side effects. But the American Journal of Roentgenology predicted one potential health concern: There’s a risk that a competitive eater’s over-dilated stomach won’t shrink back to its original size, making it impossible to digest solid foods. According to the study, if this happens, long-term competitive eaters could develop persistent nausea and vomiting—requiring serious surgery to relieve
symptoms and restore their eating abilities. Even after studying dietetics, Stonie takes the health concerns with a grain of salt. “The truth is that all competitive sports have a long-term health impact on the athletes because the nature of any sport is to push your body to its limits,” he says. “The important part is to understand what you’re doing and take necessary measures to lower any potential risks for the future.” Regardless of the risks, Stonie has some big goals for the future: “Short-term, my goal is to be one of the the top three eaters in the world, win a reputable contest, and place second at the Nathan’s Famous July 4 International Hot Dog-Eating Contest,” he says. “Long-term I have one goal: to be the best. I plan to continue competitive eating until I feel I’ve put forth all I have and am satisfied with what I’ve accomplished.”
TOM CORTINA
MATT STONIE
DRAKEMAGAZINE.COM | DRAKE MAGAZINE | 33 **Photos courtesy of Joe Scrofani, Tom Cortina, and Matt Stonie.