A Brief Look at History, One "Bite" at a Time....

"They say that competitive eating is the battleground upon which God and Lucifer wage war for men’s souls." -George Shea, Chair of the International Federation of Competitive Eating

When looking through the history books, I was shocked to learn how far back this crazy, albeit entertaining sport goes.  So, let's explore the vast history of competitive eating....

Competitive eating, as we know it today, mostly consists of restaurants that partake in the goal convincing one customer to consume an unimaginable amount of food, often in a specific amount of time, and in some cases, with an incentive added. In addition to this, we have all become very aware of the famous "Nathan's International July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest", held every year on the fourth. This event, whose home is at the original Nathan's restaurant in Coney Island, New York, dates all the way back to 1916. It has been said that on July 4, 1916, four immigrants were having an argument about who was more patriotic, which they settled by battling it out by way of a hot dog eating contest. The contest has been held every year since.

In more recent years, those who have braved this daring feat have gotten international recognition, as well as face time on ESPN. This event has become wildly popular for viewers, keeping a large number of us tuned in each year....with some of us watching in awe, while others can't manage to stomach it....turning away, yet catching themselves looking back to watch this spectacle unfold.

In the end, there can only be one winner. One man or woman, who manages to fight off the feeling of satiation just long enough to consume the most hot dogs out of anyone. To this one brave soul goes the spoils....the coveted international "Mustard Belt". This bejeweled belt has become quite the icon in the competitive eating world, and has spent a large portion of its life in the country of Japan, where it had been on display in the Imperial Palace. This was all thanks to competitive eater, and internationally known hot dog eating guru, Takeru Kobayashi, who had a six year streak running, from 2001 to 2006. The belt has since been moved to the United States, as a result of Kobayashi being dethroned by American, Joey Chestnut.

While he one day hopes to work up to this stature of competitive eating, Bergg is completely focused on his current task at hand. As you all know, this task entails his consumption of the undisputed 3 lb. cheese burger in under 28 minutes, at "Wiener and Still Champion", in Evanston, IL.

As we are growing nearer to this event, which will take place this Saturday, January 16th, at 1pm, Bergg's preparation is in full force. Here is a look at his game plan for the day: As a precursory tactic for stretching out his stomach, Bergg has decided to up the length and intensity of his workouts, to allow for a larger amount of daily food intake. For breakfast today, he had his daily hearty bowl of cereal, followed by a yogurt, with toast and peanut butter as a side. He is also religiously drinking water throughout the day, to be sure and keep extra hydrated. For lunch, he will be keeping it simple, having turkey chili, veggies, pretzels and a banana. Along the way, Bergg has begun to think up of some very interesting preparatory tactics along the way, involving soda and a bit of acrobatics.....

"I figure, carbonation and jumping should help expand my stomach...but then i need to worry about supersonic belching."

....we'll see how that one turns out!

For the afternoon/night schedule, Bergg will continue with his daily workout, with an increase in cardio to begin to jump start his metabolism. The menu for dinner will consist of pizza and salad, again paired with plenty of water intake.

"What I'm training to do on Saturday is not healthy. I'm trying to ready my body as much as I can to make sure that whatever I consume on Saturday is going to be treated by my body as what I call a "free radical" or something that happens to the body once in a blue moon." 

So he continues, day by day....committed to the task at hand, preparing himself for the hurdle he so valiantly placed in his path....carefully planning out his each and every move....building himself up to the task at hand, training in both a physical and mental capacity....knowing the goal WILL be met this Saturday, when he will heroically take on this monstrous burger, in the next "Bergg vs. Food" challenge!!

Until next time, stay tuned.....Happy eating!!