# Do you have the anatomical gifts to be a champion hot dog eater? (and other questions) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2023, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525 "2023-07-04T02:54:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/1 "2023-07-04T02:54:15Z")
Every year there is another article on Chestnut, Kobayashi or champion frankfurter “gurgitators”. They usually talk technique, like dunking food in water. But this article discusses the anatomical chops of a champion: short neck, long torso, wide build and rib cage, little constricting paunch. 1. Do you have what it takes to eat professionally? 2. Seriously who comes up with this stuff? 3. Have you ever watched a professional eating contest? 4. What would you think about the use of supplemental ketchup? 5. Who makes your favourite hot dogs, anyway? 6. What is the most unusual hot dog topping you use on a semi-regular basis? > **[How hot dog contestants went from eating 10 to 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/01/hot-dog-eating-contest-competitive-eater/)** > > Winning the 10-minute Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest takes skill. Here's how the nation's best eaters prepare for the annual competition. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/2 "2023-07-04T02:54:58Z")
1. Do you have an eating disorder? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/3 "2023-07-04T02:55:36Z")
Seriously. There’s a lot of psychological unpacking here somewhere. Happy July 4th, Yankees! 1. Is it easier to quickly eat a corn dog or a hot dog with bun? Spoiler: (The womens’ champion can eat about twice as many hot dogs as corn dogs, but why?) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/4 "2023-07-04T06:29:39Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > What would you think about the use of supplemental ketchup? Considering the origins of this board, I feel like supplemental mustard would be more appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/5 "2023-07-05T04:32:31Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Do you have what it takes to eat professionally? No, I actually usually feel full after about one hot dog these days. When I was 21…nah, not even then. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/6 "2023-07-05T04:44:17Z")
In fact I have most of the features, except (1) a long torso and (2) any desire whatsoever to improve on my ability to eat moderate amounts at moderate speed. There is something a little decadent about champion gluttony. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/7 "2023-07-05T05:04:27Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Is it easier to quickly eat a corn dog or a hot dog with bun? If you watch footage of the Nathan’s contest, you’ll see that the top competitors all follow the same strategy: - They separate the bun from the hot dog - They quickly down the hot dog, while soaking the bun in water, and squeezing it, to make a wet ball of dough - They then down the wad of wet dough which used to be a bun I’m not sure that there’s that kind of strategy which can be applied to a corn dog. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/8 "2023-07-05T05:08:05Z")
Is it that hard to separate the meat from the mantle? Dough is dough. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/9 "2023-07-05T05:34:05Z")
I’d guess it’d be slower to disassemble a corn dog (which is typically made by dipping the hot dog into batter, then deep-frying it all together) than it is to just remove a hot dog from a bun, into which it’s been loosely placed, but I could be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/10 "2023-07-05T05:39:53Z")
Hot Dogs? No. Sushi? Maybe… I’d like to give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![BlueOhio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@BlueOhio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueOhio)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/11 "2023-07-05T12:02:32Z")
Do they all vomit afterward? I’ve always wondered what happens to the body if you don’t - the massive amounts of sodium in particular, but there are so many other ‘items’ in the average hot dog I just can’t imagine the body processing it all. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/12 "2023-07-05T14:13:17Z")
I heard on NPR that some competitors have their tonsils removed to speed up swallowing. As I still have mine, I guess I’m out. Also, the very idea of competitive eating makes me nauseous. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/13 "2023-07-05T14:40:56Z")
I have the long torso, but even when I was young I wouldn’t have tried it. I did eat a dog per inning at a minor league game in my twenties, but they were spread out over 2-3 hours. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/14 "2023-07-05T20:58:00Z")
I find eating competitions very distasteful. Pun intended, but completely serious. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/15 "2023-07-06T22:59:57Z")
When I was a kid, my Girl Scout leader’s husband said he once won a shrimp-eating contest by eating 22 jumbo shrimp, “and then I upchucked about 22 times.” It was YEARS before he could eat shrimp again, as one might imagine. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/16 "2023-07-07T14:46:16Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’m not sure that there’s that kind of strategy which can be applied to a corn dog. The wooden stick is a problem for competitive corn dog eaters. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2023, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/17 "2023-07-07T16:39:09Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I find eating competitions very distasteful. Pun intended, but completely serious. Beyond distasteful. I watched about 30 seconds of the Nathan’s championship and it made me ill to watch people shoving food in their mouths. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/18 "2023-07-07T16:46:49Z")
This thread reminds me of an ad hoc “competitive” eating event that arose in my junior high school cafeteria. “Competitive” is in quotes because only one student participated - in eating as many stewed prunes as he could. I believe he ate 44. Needless to say, he was in intestinal agony a few hours later. Everyone wanted to know why he would do such a stupid thing. Had he not anticipated the result? Apparently, he didn’t know that prunes are a laxative. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/19 "2023-07-07T18:35:55Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Apparently, he didn’t know that prunes are a laxative. Did someone _else_ know and egged him on? Sounds like a high school kid thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525/20 "2023-07-07T18:48:37Z")
I tend to lose my appetite completely if there’s any sort of pressure involved. If I’m going to eat even just a normal amount of food, it’s got to be a completely relaxed situation. Rush me, and I’ll just stop eating, I’m done. Even eating in a sit down restaurant is often too much pressure for me. I usually just order an appetizer, or I end up taking home 75% of an entree. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-the-anatomical-gifts-to-be-a-champion-hot-dog-eater-and-other-questions/986525.md?page=2)