Mid-Michigan Dining

…and that’s something as a nation, we can all be proud of (did the sarcasm come through)?  For the second year in a row, Joey Chestnut defeated Takeru Kobayashi at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York.  But this year, the shorter time limit made things interesting.

The men tied at 59 frankfurters in 10 minutes, before being made to gobble another five dogs in a last-minute tiebreaker. They consumed 64 hot dogs total and were looking quite peaked after the competition.

Kobayashi had hoped to reclaim the throne after a disappointing three-dog loss last year shattered his six-year winning streak.

“He wanted it, but I needed it,” Chestnut said of his diminutive Japanese rival.

Thousands gathered at Coney Island on the Fourth of July to watch the gluttonous gladiators compete in the annual event. Chestnut emerged victorious for the second year in a row, beating 20 others who had only 10 minutes to scarf down as many hot dogs as possible, two minutes less than in previous years.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our independence than to watch two guys stuffing water-soaked hot dogs into their mouths.  Go Team!