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Nov 08 2004 3 Comments

Glutton for punishment

Despite Japanese food being healthy, and the majority of its people very much on the svelte side, eating competitions are an incredibly popular form of entertainment here. Whether it is a live event or a televised show, these galas of gluttony have a strong and enthusiastic following. And having watched a few such shows on TV, I must admit that in a bizarre and at times disgusting way, they do make for compulsive viewing.

That’s not to say that Japan has a monopoly on such activities. Coney Island’s hot dog eating contest for example gets worldwide coverage. Although for the last 4 years the winner has been Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi. Who for anyone interested produced a new world record at this year’s event. The Tsunami as he’s known managed to wolf down a gut wrenching 53.5 hot dogs and buns in a mere 12 minutes.

kobayashi.jpg

But a noodle and bread-eating contest held in Hyogo prefecture on Saturday ended in tragedy. One of the contestants, a 38-year-old woman, had trouble breathing whilst eating bread, and to the shock of the watching crowd fell unconscious. However despite being taken to hospital, the woman tragically died 9 hours later.

Categorized: Food and Drink, Television

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Baka-san says

    11/9/2004 at 6:00 pm

    Isn’t eating too much unhealthy??

    Reply
  2. JMichael says

    11/18/2004 at 8:12 pm

    The Tsunami was here in my home town recently…

    http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_58609.asp

    As I recall from an interview, his theory is that he is such an effective eater because he is thin; there is no weight to contain his stomach once it begins to expand.

    Reply

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