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Americans celebrate two festivals on July 4. First there is Independence Day, then there is Competitive Eating Day.The annual hot-dog eating contest is Brooklyn, New York, takes place every July 4, and is a nationally televised event over there.
This sport is no game -- it takes hard work, resolve and, most importantly, a preternatural control of the gag reflex. Last year Japanese master-eat Takeru Kobayashi tied with American hero Joey Chestnut by eating 59 hot dogs in ten minutes. After a 5-dog tie break Chestnut won the day, in a show of athletic ability equal to Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps.
This year Kobayashi is taking on Chestnut for the last time before retirement. He will be sorely missed -- competitive eating needs a combination of abilities few possess, and even fewer care to hone, and we're in awe of anyone who can down dozens of dogs in less time than it takes to recount all of the ingredients contained in a single sausage.
To mark the occasion, we've collected pics from various food-chomping contests, but just like the competitions themselves, some of these shots are not for the faint of stomach. Bon appétit.
