"The Art of Kuidaore"

Well ladies and gentleman....the countdown begins....5 days and counting, until we all cheer Zach (aka Bergg) on to set the new record at "Wiener and Still Champion", in Evanston, IL. To review, this means he will have to consume a 3 lb. cheese burger in under 28 minutes (the current record). Due to scheduling conflict....(or possibly intimidation), the defending champion, Qumar, who originally planned on appearing at the event this Saturday to then re-claim the record (should Bergg break the current record), will no longer be attending. Although, he has made it clear that he is considering coming back at a later date, should he need to re-claim his record.

As promised, I will be keeping you all informed, every step of the way, in this grueling process of training and preparation for Saturday's event.

Let's start today's post with a little bit of some very interesting, and not commonly known history: 

There is an old Japanese term, "Kuidaore", which is roughly translated to: "to ruin oneself by extravagance in food". This term was coined in the city of Osaka, as Osaka was the only major city in Japan that allowed the merchant class to spend more than 100 yen a day, but they could only spend it on food and drinks. This term was also paired with a former tourist attraction, or "pleasure district", named "Dotonbori". In the past, this tourist spot was filled with historic theaters, shops and restaurants. This is how the term "Kuidaore" became so popular, as it was used in many businesses, including the naming of a famous mascot, "Kuidaore Taro", a clown linked to the famous restaurant, "Cui-daore". So, while the noble and samurai classes of Tokyo and Nagasaki would eat and drink and live modestly, Osakans were urged to drink too much, eat way too much, and live too much! So, in comparison to what we plan on doing on Saturday, we're still taking up second place to the true gluttons, the citizens of Osaka.

In Bergg's noble journey to emulate this ancient art of eating in mass quantities, he has implemented a specific routine, to properly train for this daring feat:

To start out the week, he made sure to eat breakfast, as he always does. On this morning's breakfast menu: Kashi cereal, with plenty of water. Lunch will consist of: a large salad, with plenty of lettuce, wheat pretzels, and plenty of water, with dinner still to be determined. The goal of this week, is to slowly but successfully stretch Bergg's stomach, to allow room for the massive burger.

"While I'm entering this competition to eat a giant burger, its still extremely important for me to maintain my normal healthy diet. I take the stance that this burger challenge is a free radical that can be balanced out with healthy living 6 days out of the week."


His afternoon workout will include:

60 minutes of hard cardio work (30 minutes of elliptical, 20 minutes of running, and 10 minutes of stairs) followed by 30 minutes of lifting.

So will this path of careful eating and strategy for specific preparedness pay off?? Can we expect to see Bergg meet this beast with a look of fear and regret on his face??....Or, will we see his ever so familiar look of determination?....The type of determination that drives him to block out any thought of failure, never letting it even enter his mind, knowing all to well that there exists only one option for him....a motto he has followed throughout his life: "Win or go home!"

Upward and onward!! Stay tuned....many more updates to come!!

Happy eating!!