By John Salak –
Lots of people crave attention, but sometimes it’s mindboggling or perhaps stomach-curdling to realize the lengths some will go to achieve fame. Consider for a moment what people will eat.
Yes, as WellWell recently reported, gobbling small whole fish may yield particular health benefits for women. In doing so, the article naturally referenced the goldfish-swallowing craze that swept American universities and colleges in the first half of the 20th Century.
In retrospect, these pescatarian activities appear almost wholesome and even appetizing when considering what some people are putting in their mouths of late either by happenstance or in search of 15 minutes of fame and probably multiple hours in the bathroom afterward.
Consider Patrick Bertoletti. He scoffed down 58 hot dogs and their buns in 10 minutes to win the 2024 Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. While a belly-busting accomplishment, Bertoletti’s mouthy achievement actually pales in comparison to the record-setting chow-down renown dogger Joey Chestnut set in 2020 when he gobbled down 75 dogs and buns in his 10-minute allotment.
Gobbling insanity, unfortunately, doesn’t end there. Annies Ladies Bar in Cape Town, South Africa has just taken supersized to a whole new dimension by concocting a 10-foot sandwich that boasts 10 layers of fillings and weighs 145 pounds. For those interested or morbidly fascinated, this delight includes more than six pounds of tomatoes, 44 pounds of sausage, steak, ground beef and chicken fillets, 22 pounds of French fries and a layer of calamari. Oh yes, this is all topped with onion rings.
There are no reports that anyone has ordered, let alone tried to consume this heartbreaking feast, but hopefully Cape Town ambulances are on call if someone tries.
In Japan, however, unwise munching of super-spicy chips sent 14 high school students to the hospital. These infirmed students were part of about 30 high schoolers who gobbled up bags of “18+ curry chips” that another student brought to school. It’s unclear whether the chip chow down was undertaken on a dare, but the company that makes the snacks, Isoyama Corp., did release a statement apologizing for “any inconvenience” and “sincerely wished for the swift recovery of those who have reported feeling unwell”.
The company’s website does apparently “forbid” those under 18 years old from eating these chips, but that doesn’t really sound enforceable. Perhaps a better warning label would have helped.
Serious and what seems like sickening munching only gets worse for some. Here is a list of queasy world records for eating the unthinkable and largely unhealthy.
In 2002 Don Lerman slid down 28 ounces of butter in five minutes. Ken Edwards, another Brit, gobbled up 36 live cockroaches in 60 seconds and Japan’s own Takeru Kobayashi apparently thought it was important to set a world record by eating 57 cow brains in 15 minutes.
Still hungry? Not to be left behind, the U.S. got into the record books when Oleg Zhornitskiy swallowed, drank or whatever 128 ounces of mayonnaise in eight minutes. For those keeping count, 128 ounces equals one gallon. And perhaps worst of all, Matt Stonie, who also hails from the U.S., sucked down 255 Peeps in 2017 in the space of just five minutes. Peeps, by the way, are those age-old and undeniably awful marshmallow chick and bunny candies that always seem to find their way into everyone’s Easter basket.
All these disgusting, fame-seeking ingestions beg all sorts of questions, largely about the consequences of these unappetizing meals. But perhaps the consequences are better off unspecified. Is the fame really worth it?
