# Nathans hot dog eating contest **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 4, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924 "2009-07-04T21:00:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/21 "2009-07-08T06:05:34Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > One thought is that thin folks don’t have a layer of fat around their stomachs that prevent them from expanding. **The stars of the game have stomachs that can hold far more then us mere mortals**. I may be a mere mortal but I still think I’m bigger than 68 hot dogs 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/22 "2009-07-13T02:06:09Z")
I like the Italian guy’s moniker, the “Italian Scallion”. It has a nice ring to it. This reminds me of a famous Japanese girl, “Gal Sone” who goes on variety shows and stuff to eat absurd quantities of food. It’s not the same as competitive eating, since she’s not doing it under a small time frame, but she does eat it all in one sitting. She’s tiny but must have a crazy stomach! This is a link to her on a show eating about 20 lbs of curry, noodle, and rice. She weighed in at 95 lbs beforehand, and 110 afterward. [Natsuko Gal Sone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Q1Jeh8dxY) ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/23 "2009-07-13T02:47:12Z")
> [@lshaw](#): > > This reminds me of a famous Japanese girl, “Gal Sone” who goes on variety shows and stuff to eat absurd quantities of food. It’s not the same as competitive eating, since she’s not doing it under a small time frame, but she does eat it all in one sitting. She’s tiny but must have a crazy stomach! This is a link to her on a show eating about 20 lbs of curry, noodle, and rice. She weighed in at 95 lbs beforehand, and 110 afterward. I probably don’t want to know where the missing 5 lbs went. > [@](#): > > [Natsuko Gal Sone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Q1Jeh8dxY) I pity the guy who asks her out, takes her to dinner and then watches why she consumes 16 steaks. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/24 "2009-07-13T03:00:31Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I probably don’t want to know where the missing 5 lbs went. > > I pity the guy who asks her out, takes her to dinner and then watches why she consumes 16 steaks. She never had a second date. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/25 "2009-07-13T05:17:50Z")
I am amazed at the accomplishments of competitive eaters. Surely they can be recognized for their incredible gustitory feats. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/26 "2009-07-13T05:23:18Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I still can not picture training for the event. According to an episode of MTV’s True Life I saw from a few years ago on competitive eating, it happens. For most, it’s just practice, of course. But Kobayashi actually works out. As in a gym. A lot. If you saw his body during that episode, it’s something. Pro-athlete ripped. He believes it helps, and a factor in his success or failure. Hell, he even watched video of his previous year’s run to see what he could learn from it. He takes it VERY seriously (as do Japanese in general, he seemed to indicate). ETA: As for the complaints about the event that come up every time it’s mentioned, I look at it this way: it’s a once a year, one day event. I’m betting the extra food it “wastes” in that microcosm of time pales severely in comparison to what the average American throws away (food-wise) in just a month. Maybe even less. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/27 "2009-07-13T18:48:19Z")
[http://www.ifoce.com/eaters.php](http://www.ifoce.com/eaters.php) It is more than just Nathans. But is a sense no food is wasted. It is all eaten. The records are listed. Who would eat 7 1/2 lbs of butter in one sitting? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/28 "2009-07-13T19:02:56Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > Running is not a competition, it’s a way of getting someplace quickly. > Swimming is not a competition, it’s a way to keep from drowning. > > See how that works? Missed this one … … the difference is, people don’t \*need \*to run or swim. If a person never runs or never swims he won’t die. This is the difference, in my view. Taking an activity that every person on earth needs to do to not die … one that a great many miss out on to varying degrees … and making it a competition of who can do the most of it for no reason whatsoever besides money and the ability to say, “look at what a pig I am” is what I find offensive. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/29 "2009-07-13T19:13:38Z")
People will compete on almost any human endeavor. It is the nature of the beast. Is anyone bitching about the money wasted training Olympic athletes? We spend a lot on that stuff. We could always stop the Olympics and spend the money on operations for children. But that is not going to happen. We compete. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/30 "2009-07-13T21:27:58Z")
I bet Michael Phelps eats far more calories in a year than every single one of those guys purely for reasons of competition. Clearly he should be ostracized. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/31 "2009-07-13T21:38:59Z")
I wanna know if there’s some kinda commercial grade toilet they have at home, you know, for the next day. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/32 "2009-07-14T04:27:36Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > I wanna know if there’s some kinda commercial grade toilet they have at home, you know, for the next day. I heard a commercial on the radio a few years back. It was for some kind of high-volume toilet. The husband was having his competitive eating team over for practice… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/33 "2009-07-14T04:31:36Z")
BTW, [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV9cQpHSv4I) is Joey Chestnut eating a 72 ounce steak plus sides in under 9 minutes. Broke the old record by 58 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924/34 "2009-07-14T16:21:55Z")
The family must force them to sit on the porch the next day. Sixty hoot dogs would result in a tiny flatulence problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/501924.md?page=1)