Food Fighters: The wide, wide, wide world of Competitive Eating

 

FEBRUARY 12, 2005. VENICE BEACH, CALIF. Even in a neighborhood that prides itself on its institutional weirdness, the spectacle unfolding on this Saturday afternoon is drawing stares – and an increasing crowd of onlookers.

More than a dozen “athletes” have traveled from all over the United States to put their food-consuming skills to the test. Online casino GoldenPalace.com is sponsoring a grilled-cheese eating competition to further milk publicity from their $28,000 eBay purchase of a 10-year-old grilledcheese sandwich that, to some eyes, bears an image of the Virgin Mary.

Takeru Kobayashi after devouring 53 1/2 hot dogs in 12 minutes, 2004.

Fifteen eaters – or gurgitators, as they prefer to be called – have come to win the contest and, tangentially, to pay homage to the Blessed Virgin grilled cheese. With a total of $10,000 in prize money, this is one of most lucrative competitions the sport of competitive eating has to offer. This is also the first grilled-cheese-eating contest officially sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). Today’s winner will be named grilled-cheese-eating champion of the world, and will claim all the glory and public adoration such a title entails.

Previously – OK, probably still – considered a freakish display of foolhardy gluttony, competitive eating is nonetheless becoming a big business, with increasing numbers of competitors and fans, corporate sponsorships and a highly organized governing body in the IFOCE. Historical accounts of the sport differ, but the birth of the American competitive eating scene is generally considered to be the first Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest – which has become the Super Bowl of the sport – in 1916. From those humble beginnings, the IFOCE plans to host 100 events this year, up from 70 in 2004. Numerous TV specials, such as Fox’s Glutton Bowl, have brought the sport to nationwide audiences. Clearly, competitive eating is poised to burst forth like a swollen gut against a straining waistband.

Relax, it’s only water: Carlene LeFevre washes down her grilled cheese.

The IFOCE was created by two brothers, George and Richard Shea. The duo were first introduced to the world of competitive eating in 1988, when Nathan’s hired its public-relations firm to promote the Fourth of July contest.

“During the ’90s, we really had fun with it as a fun distraction from the more corporate PR,” explains George Shea, chairman of the IFOCE. “We really put a lot of effort into it, even though there really wasn’t any money. About 1997, we began receiving a large number of inquiries from all kinds of eaters and producers and media; so we formed the International Federation of Competitive Eating as a central resource of sorts for the sport.”

Shea dreams of the day when competitive eating becomes recognized by the International Olympic Committee: “It’s been one of the greatest challenges of my career.”

Most people involved in the world of speed-eating credit one man for the growing interest in the sport: Takeru Kobayashi. Known as the Michael Jordan of the circuit, Kobayashi, a skinny, 132- pound kid from Japan, forever transformed the sport on July 4, 2001, when he swallowed 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes at the annual Nathan’s competition, nearly doubling the previous record. The American media devoured the story, and eaters worldwide decided they would try to be the next Kobayashi. At the same time, companies realized that eating contests were a great way to generate publicity for their products – donuts, pizzas, buffalo wings and more.

Shea dreams of the day when competitive eating becomes recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “I’ve tried for many years to secure some sort of position in the Olympics even as a trial sport, but our entreaties to Jacques Rogge, the president of the IOC, have gone unanswered, and it’s been very frustrating. It’s been one of the greatest challenges of my career.”

Back at the grilled-cheese contest, Hooman Zahedi, an emergency medical technician, is standing by. “I’m here just as a safety precaution, in case any of them should choke on a food particle,” he says. “I’ll be able to do the Heimlich maneuver
and help them resume breathing.”

"What if two people choke simultaneously?” I ask.

“I’ll help them one at a time,” he answers, unfazed by the prospect. “If need be, I can call in more resources.”

While no one has yet choked at an IFOCE event, there have been at least two reported speed-eating-related deaths. Six years ago, a competitor died during a sushi-eating bout. Last year, a 14-year-old boy who’d challenged two friends to an eating contest choked on a piece of bread. After three months in a coma, he died.

The Shea brothers also hope to protect the sport’s reputation by bringing a level of professionalism to it and minimizing such tragedies in the future. “The IFOCE will not sanction or promote any events that do not adhere to the highest safety regulations,” according to the organization’s official Web site. “The IFOCE believes that speed eating is only suitable for those 18 years of age or older, and only in a controlled environment with appropriate rules and with an emergency medical technician present. Do not try speed eating at home.”

The eaters eagerly await the arrival of the sandwiches. They want to study exactly how the cheese was grilled and on what type of bread so they can plan their attack. Eventually, 600 grilledcheese sandwiches – an average of 40 per competitor – arrive via truck. The vaunted edible Virgin Mary is eventually trotted out to much hullabaloo and removed from a high-tech security briefcase by GoldenPalace.com’s Steve Baker. The sacred grilled cheese is encased in Lucite.

“Hungry” Charles Hardy, Ed “Cookie” Jarvis, Ron “Hizzoner” Koch, Eric “Badlands” Booker and Sonya “the Black Widow” Thomas.

The keeper of the sandwich places it on an easel for all to admire and cries out, “The passion of the toast lives!” The crowd goes nuts.

The competition is now imminent, and everyone agrees that Sonya “the Black Widow” Thomas is the one to beat. The 105-pound, 37-year-old woman of Korean descent (she currently resides in Alexandria, Va.) is ranked second in the world; only speed-eating legend Kobayashi is ranked higher, and he’s not here today.

IFOCE Chairman Shea hops onstage. Apropos of the theme of today’s contest, the master showman delivers a riveting sermon on modern man’s plight in this seemingly meaningless world.

“Sadness. Isolation. Loss – because the pursuits of our lives have obscured our lives,” he intones. “We have constructed around ourselves a conceit of who we are. We have crowded our lives with external sources. We cannot hear. We cannot see. We cannot think. That is why she is here. She has come among no fanfare whatsoever. A woman, grilling a cheese sandwich, flipped it over, and it changed her life forever. And it changed our lives forever ...”

After about 20 minutes of this spiel, Shea introduces the eaters. Richard “the Locust” LeFevre is competing against his wife, Carlene LeFevre, whom Shea describes as “the Martha Stewart of Mastication.” The couple, who appear to be in their early 60s, are ranked 3rd and 7th, respectively.

Suddenly, hip-hop music blares from the speakers. Eric “Badlands” Booker takes to the stage and raps from his album, Hungry and Focused, the world’s first (and probably only) competitive-eating-themed album. Booker became a competitive eater in 1997, when he won a Nathan’s contest preliminary. Unlike many eaters, Booker trains for all of his events.

Booker also thinks Thomas is a force to be reckoned with, but he’s equally concerned with some of the first-timers. “The rookies are coming in hungry, and I’ve got to stay focused and consistent,” he frets.

Focus is important. In fact, Ed “Cookie” Jarvis, who weighs in at 408 pounds, says the ability to keep one’s eyes on the prize (or, perhaps, the pies) is what gives Asian eaters the edge. “They have superior focus than we do. We get sidetracked easier, being American.” Jarvis adds that there are competitive-eating groupies, some of whom want their breasts autographed. Cookie claims to avoid the groupie action because he’s married. I scan the crowd but fail to see any such eager groupies.

Sonya “the Black Widow” Thomas, weighing in at 105 pounds, takes the grilledcheese championship (left) and orders up a couple more (right).

The last competitor is the infamous Sonya Thomas. Nearly undefeated, she was beaten a week earlier in the Wing Bowl, giving hope to her rivals. Each of the 15 eaters is poised over two plates of grilled cheese, along with cups of water to wash down the food. Each plate holds five sandwiches. When they are finished, they are replaced. The competitors have 10 minutes to scarf down as many sandwiches as they can.

The countdown begins: “10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1! Go!” screams Shea.

As the feeding frenzy commences, the divergence of techniques is a marvel to behold. Carlene LeFevre eats and drinks simultaneously, water spilling out of her mouth. Cookie Jarvis, meanwhile, cuts his sandwiches into quarters. Thomas shoves almost an entire sandwich in her mouth at a time, then drinks the water and swallows the mushy meal. She is the first to finish 10 sandwiches. “More!” she demands with her mouth full, pounding on the table.

Minutes tick by. Incisors gnash furiously. The air is thick with competitive zeal and errant bits of food propelled from the gustatory gladiators’ mouths.

Shea gives the play-by-play: “Sonya is pulling ahead. I only see ‘Hungry’ Charles Hardy, Cookie Jarvis, Rich LeFevre and Badlands Booker in her realm.” Accompanied by the crowd, he eventually counts down the final seconds: “10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!”

“Put down your grilled cheese!” Shea orders.

The results are announced: Booker beats Hardy by half a sandwich, earning 5th place with 18 1/2 grilled cheese eaten. Carlene LeFevre weighs in with 20 1/4 sandwiches, putting her in fourth place. Her husband, Richard, and Jed Donahue tie for second, with 23 each.

And Sonya Thomas does it again, taking home the $3,500 grand prize for eating 25 sandwiches. That’s $140 per sandwich, or $350 per minute.

The Black Widow poses with her championship belt. In a stunning display of dominance, she takes another bite.

With that, the event is over. The Virgin Mary is shoved back into her heavy-duty briefcase. As for Thomas? After eating several pounds of cheese in 10 minutes, she’s probably off to spend at least some of her prize money on extra-strength laxatives.