People often ask me how I think of something to write about each week. Some weeks are easier than others. Often an event will happen that interests me, and I want to further investigate.
After the busy Fourth of July celebration at my house, I served several family members brunch on the following Sunday. The conversation at the table turned to the annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. As soon as we had eaten, everyone assembled in the den to watch this momentous occasion.
I have seen the catfish eating contest in Belzoni at the Catfish Festival, but that was the extent of my experience concerning competitive eating. There is an International Confederation of Competitive Eating that is the governing body for the MLE (Major League Eating). The MLE oversees about 80 events every year. Many are televised and have generated hours of original programming. ESPN broadcasts the Fourth of July hot dog eating contests every year. This is what we were watching, and I had no idea what I had been missing. The broadcast has more viewers than any Major League Baseball game in the United States.
Steve confessed while watching the competition that he had participated in a hot dog eating contest when he played football at Mississippi State. It was not timed, just who could eat the most. At that time, all athletes lived in the athletic dorm and were fed quite well in the dining room. Each night they were served a late-night snack. On this one occasion, it turned into a hot dog eating contest. His roommate won with a grand total of 15!
After looking into this “sport,” I could not believe what people eat for competition. I wanted to include some of my favorites, each with the record amount and time:
- 65 hard boiled eggs, 6 minutes and 40 seconds
- 68 hot dogs, 10 minutes
- 8.1 pounds of Vienna sausage, 10 minutes
- 47 grilled cheese sandwiches, 10 minutes
- 103 Krystal hamburgers, 8 minutes
- 13.23 pounds of jellied cranberry sauce, 8 minutes
- 48 glazed doughnuts, 8 minutes
- 2.76 pounds of bologna, 6 minutes
- 1½ gallons of chili, 10 minutes
- 6.5 pounds of crawfish, 10 minutes
- 6 pounds of Spam, 12 minutes
- 46 dozen oysters, 10 minutes
- 11 pounds of cheesecake, 9 minutes
- 42 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, 10 minutes
- Seven quarter pound sticks of unsalted butter, 5 minutes
- 6 pounds and 9 ounces of cabbage, 9 minutes
- 46 ears of corn,12 minutes
- Four (32-ounce) bowls mayonnaise, 8 minutes
- 17 peeled bananas, 2 minutes
- 13 raw eggs, 1 second
- Three whole lemons (seeds and peel), 15.3 seconds
- 100 yards of spaghetti, 12.2 seconds
There are big names in the world of competitive eating. When you see names such as Joey Chestnut, Sonya Thomas, Patrick Bertoletti, Tim “Eater X” Janus and Bob Shoudt, you know they are the ones to beat.
Sponsors for these events are quite a broad range. Everyone, from Heinz Ketchup to Old Navy, wants to get in on the action. My favorite sponsor is Pepto Bismol.
This week’s recipes don’t have to do with speed but rather with the slow cooker — and only five ingredients. Hope you enjoy them and save yourself some time in the kitchen. Thanks for reading.
CROCK-POT SOUR CREAM BACON CHICKEN
8 slices bacon
8 chicken breasts
2 cans roasted garlic cream of chicken soup
½ cup flour
1 cup sour cream
Wrap a slice of bacon around each chicken breasts, and place in slow cooker. Mix the other ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for eight hours. Makes delicious gravy to serve over rice.
CROCK-POT CAJUN POT ROAST
2 pounds boneless chuck roast
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic
1 teaspoon Tabasco
Sprinkle Cajun seasoning on roast, and rub to coat well. Place in Crock-Pot, and top with onion. Add tomatoes and Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for eight hours.
CROCK-POT WILD RICE PILAF
2 cups uncooked wild rice
1 small onion, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (4-ounce) cans sliced mushrooms, undrained
1 small jar diced pimiento, undrained
Spray inside of slow cooker with Pam. Combine all ingredients plus ½ cup water and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Cover and cook on high for four hours or on low for eight hours.
- Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
