You may remember Joey Chestnut as the 2007 and 2008 winner of the Krystal Square Off. For that first title, he downed 103 burgers in eight minutes, a world record that still holds.
His other gastronomic accomplishments include consuming 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, 44 slices of pizza in 10 minutes and 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes, according to a news release.
He views Super Bowl Sunday as one of the year’s biggest food holidays and has some tips for others seeking to maximize their game-day performance.
“For millions of Americans like me, the big-game party is not about football, sports culture or camaraderie; it is about competitive eating, pure and simple,” he said.
Here are his Top 10 tips for getting the most food at the party.
10. Limit beer and alcohol intake. Beer and wine take up valuable space in the stomach that could be used for food. Drinking also can cause an athlete to lose focus on the matter at hand – eating.
9. Dunk your food. All champion eaters use the dunking technique. Whether it be wings, pizza, pretzels, chips or deviled eggs, food goes down easier when it’s wet. If dunking offends fellow guests, so be it.
8. Remain standing. Sitting compresses the stomach and reduces its ability to expand. An erect torso facilitates speedy swallowing. Stand behind the couch or at the buffet table for easy access to food.
7. Get to the party early. Be the first one to dive into the dips and chips and wings. Eat fast and get down as much as you can as soon as you can. This way your stomach doesn’t have the chance to tell your mind it’s full, and by halftime you’ll be well ahead of those around you.
6. Eat normally before the big day. It is a rookie error to fast in the days before an eating holiday. Eat regularly until the morning of the competition/party.
5. Help out in the kitchen. Hang out where the food prep occurs. You can always tape the game and watch it later.
4. Ask other partygoers if they gained weight during the holidays. This will make them self-conscious and more likely to pull back on the food intake, leaving more for you.
3. Pick up the takeout. Offer to run to the restaurant to pick up the food. Eat as much as you can on the drive back and blame the restaurant for messing up the order.
2. Place the chips and dip on your lap. Manners will prevent the women from reaching onto your lap (men will not even consider it), allowing you to eat it all.
1. E-mail other guests and tell them the party was canceled. The food still has to be eaten even if no one else shows. Enough said.