SupersizedMeals.com: Turkey eaters get stuffed for title

Thanks to Ali and Mianos for sending this one in! news.com.au is running a story on this years Axia 3 Turkey Eating Competition. Congrats to Pat Bertoletti for winning the event, devouring 4.8 pounds of turkey in 12 minutes!

From James Hossack in New York
November 23, 2006 12:00am
THEY consider themselves athletes and their event is food - and for the competitive eaters battling for the 2006 Turkey Eating Title in New York today, Thanksgiving is no holiday.

While millions of Americans will sit down tomorrow to enjoy a traditional turkey roast, eight self-confessed gluttons instead set out to reduce the festivities to a bite-sized 12 minutes, and without skimping on the portions.

The rules state that competitors should eat as much as they can in the time allocated, unless one of the entrants is judged to have finished all the meat on the 5.5kg bird, at which point the clock is stopped.

George Shea, the head of the International Federation of Competitive Eating and the master of ceremonies for the event, described the challenge as a modern interpretation of the centuries-old Thanksgiving tradition.

“It's just good, common sense. It's very efficient,” Mr Shea, who said he has so far been snubbed in his efforts to have competitive eating recognised as an Olympic event, said.

“We have stuffed the turkeys with turkey. Why would anyone want to stuff a turkey with stuffing when you can stuff it with turkey?”

The contest was presided over by “Hungry” Charles Hardy, himself a former hot-dog eating champion, while a maths student from Columbia University was on hand to officiate at the weigh-in.

The bout pitted so-called “gurgitators” from as far away as Scotland, all hoping to take away some of the total $US2500 ($3250) prize money.

Among the more colourful competitors were “Crazy Legs” Conti, described as the “Houdini of cuisini”, and a masked Tim “Eater X” Janus, the reigning tiramisu-eating champion of the world, who said he had been seeing a sports psychologist to improve his technique.

Last year's champion, Korean-American Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, weighing in at under 45kg, came to defend her title and started out ripping off the drumsticks before devouring the meat stuffing.

But after scoffing the legs, the 39-year-old manager of a Virginia fast food outlet started to show the strain around the nine minute mark, gagging with a mouthful before retreating to a strategically-placed bin.

“It's so dry” she said, explaining later: “There was too much in my mouth, I couldn't swallow.”

Pat Bertoletti, a 21-year-old student of culinary arts from Chicago, claimed victory after getting through almost 2.2kg of lightly seasoned and slowly roast turkey, smashing last year's record.

“I went for the breast first, to get it out of the way. That seemed to work pretty well,” he confided, adding that he was surprised how much his jaw ached after the marathon chomp.

“I knew it was going to be chewy,” Mr Bertoletti said, sporting a Mohawk for his debut in the event and still wiping greasy bits of food from his face as he explained how meditation before the day and keeping calm were key.

A relative newcomer to the sport, Mr Bertoletti – who chose cranberry juice to wash down his ample mouthfuls – said he realised as a child he could eat too much and had got into competitive eating within the last two years.

He said he'd be taking a day off from turkey tomorrow, and would instead be cooking venison wrapped in bacon.

He only has a couple of weeks to rest before his next contest, this time hoping to scoff down between three and five kilos of meatballs in a 12 minute slot. “It's a great sport,” he enthused.

“She's a great competitor, it's sad to see that happen,” he said. “She'll come back next year and there'll be another battle.”

The International Federation of Competitive Eating's turkey-eating championship pitted eight professional eaters against one another in a race to see who could eat the most of a 12-pound turkey in 12 minutes. Twenty-one-year-old Patrick Bertoletti won, devouring 4.8 pounds of turkey in the allotted time. The competition was held at Artie's Deli in New York City. (Sheila Marikar)

Harvard Ph.D. student Justin Mih, left, and New Jersey native Arturo Rios Jr. tear apart their turkeys. To ensure that every bird weighed exactly 12 pounds, Artie's chefs stuffed underweight turkeys with extra turkey meat. (Sheila Marikar)

Brian Subich, center, also known as "Yellowcake" for his ability to eat mass amounts of corn bread, bites into his turkey as he works to catch up with his competitors. On the eating circuit, Tim Janus, left, is known as "Eater X." Philly cheesesteak lover Eric Livingston is called "Steakbellie." (Sheila Marikar)

Sonya Thomas, center, also known as the "Black Widow," was the defending champion of the turkey-eating contest. Though she's not a fan of turkey, she was hoping to swallow enough meat to win again. (Sheila Marikar)

After stuffing too much turkey into her stomach too fast, Thomas was on the verge of suffering what's known in the competitive eating world as a "reversal of fortune." She was able to keep the food down but had to bow out of the competition. (Sheila Marikar)

Bertoletti was given a cornucopia trophy and a cash prize for winning the competition. Asked whether he'd eat turkey on Thanksgiving, Bertoletti said, "I'm not going to look at it tomorrow, I'll be honest." (Sheila Marikar)

Turkey eaters get stuffed for title

Sunday, November 26 2006 @ 12:28 am UTC