cover image Eat This Book: A Year of Gluttony and Glory on the Competitive Eating Circuit

Eat This Book: A Year of Gluttony and Glory on the Competitive Eating Circuit

Ryan Nerz, . . St. Martin's/Griffin, $14.95 (308pp) ISBN 978-0-312-33968-5

With barbecue sauce–soaked tongue planted firmly in cheek, Nerz chronicles his amusing adventures in the perverse, repellent, strangely heroic world of "competitive eating." Having moved beyond county fair pie-eating contests, competitive eating is now a global challenge involving national pride, superstars and, in 2005, $200,000 in prize money. Freelance journalist Nerz falls in with the denizens of this world while covering the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog–Eating Contest for the Village Voice . There, the diminutive Japanese Takeru Kobayashi overturns years of American dominance by consuming 50 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. From the gastronomical excesses of Coney Island, it's a short hop to the sadomasochistic extremes of Japan, where, during the Superman Dash, "Hungry" Charles Hardy and Kazutoyo Arai devour 180 bento box lunches between them. Along the way, records are broken and countless calories are consumed. Hired by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), Nerz travels the U.S., promoting jambalaya-eating contests in New Orleans, chicken-eating blowouts in Philadelphia and fried asparagus feasts in Sacramento. Despite disgusting details—vomiting, distended bellies, etc.—Nerz presents his story with glee and good humor. 30 pages of b&w photos. (Apr.)