I am about to become a hypocrite, so let me get that out of the way right up front. I’m a hypocrite because many years ago, when I was a PM Magazine story producer for WBRZ TV in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I produced a “Hot Chile Pepper Eating Contest” feature story sponsored by WBRZ. The contest took place in a steamy Cajun bayou bar on a Friday night. A hot steamy night. The story was so entertaining it was included on PM Magazine’s national reel. I enjoyed writing the script and editing the story, and although the contestants were some of the craziest people I had ever met, I enjoyed being at the event and even thought it somewhat socially redeeming.
How does that make me a hypocrite?
I recently watched several minutes of the 2015 Nathan’s Famous 2015 Hot Dog Eating Contest before switching channels. Unlike my Hot Chile Pepper Eating Contest, I found the hot dog eating contest a disgusting display of gluttony and uncomplimentary commentary indicative of why the American lifestyle is often perceived as it is by many global communities. What I saw was… embarrassing.
The 2015 Nathan’s Famous 2015 Hot Dog Eating Contest winner consumed an incredible sixty-two hot dogs and buns in ten minutes. Consuming a hot dog was a two-step process. To speed things up a bit, the contestants were allowed to “dip” each hot dog bun in water for several seconds to make them mushy and *easier to shove down the contestant’s throats. The bun-mush mixture was then swallowed separately from the hot dogs themselves, which were crammed into the mouth 2 at a time in a kind of plunger motion.
I suspect my hypocritical perspective change from the perceived humor of teary-eyed contestants plopping hot peppers into one’s mouths compared to the repugnant ingurgitating of beloved all-American hot dogs is as much a matter of being 30-something then vs 60-something now.
“I can eat fifty eggs.”
*I wonder how many eggs Paul Newman’s character could have eaten in the movie, Cool Hand Luke had he been allowed to eat them scrambled instead of hard boiled?
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copyright© 2015 by Simply Tim’s Blog Spot
The hot dog eating contest isn’t something I’d enjoy the way you describe how they shoved them down. Disgusting. I’ve never actually seen a pie eating contest except for maybe in a movie. Maybe it’s the humor, and it just doesn’t seem as piggish as the hot dog one.
As for reality shows, I have to say I’m a huge cynic. So these people are naked and afraid, etc, but I bet the filming crews are sleeping in nice digs and eating very well, and staying warm, etc.
Just about any reality show to me doesn’t seem real just because it ain’t. They aren’t really out there alone when there are crews filming it all, and nobody is going to let anyone die or be seriously injured if there is any way to prevent it.
I kind of prefer to spend my time actually living than waste it watching reality shows.
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I can’t stand to watch people stuff their faces in competition, period. It’s my least favorite challenge on Survivor. ;o)
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I watched several episodes of “Naked & Afraid”. Odd concept. 21 days naked in the wild, just trying to survive. Each team member is given a small burlap knapsack. They are allowed to bring only ONE item with them. Popular items are cooking pots, survival knives, matches. Building fires, shelter, catching food and finding water are biggest problems. I watched one show where the woman was a vegetarian and the guy a die-hard ex-military Ranger. The vegetarian fared far better (lost less proportionate weight) than the meat eater.
Makes we want to make a salad…
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Glad to see you back….I couldn’t watch any one stuffing food at warp speed, It would absolutely gross me out.
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It was ugly.
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I am so glad AI decided early on NOT to watch the Hot dog challenge, it would have been way to gross. Awww the good ole days when folks were more civilized!
I too had been thinking of you recently and wondered if I’d missed anything from you. Welcome back!
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I will try to be more consistent in the future. 😉
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So good to get a posting from you! I have been wondering how you and Rich are doing and why the postings have stopped.
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Thanks! I’ve been absent for a while. Cleaning out and freeing up some brain cells. After nearly 20 years of newsletters and more recently this blog, I had become a bit overwhelmed with real life issues. I think I’m ready to jump back into the fray now. We’ll see.
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Interesting how our viewpoints can change with time, isn’t it?! Two things, though… first, the hot pepper eating was a different kind of challenge, as it involved pain tolerance, which is more, well, sporting, I guess. Second, these days it’s just not acceptable to eat a lot, or to deliberately train to eat a lot. There are a zillion food police out there now. Different times allow different tastes.
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The smushed-up hot dog bun runoff water dripping down the contestants’ t-shirts and forearms really got to me. It was like they were squeezing a sponge and wolfing it down. 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes. What a waste.
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Did you just start up again after a long hiatus?
Sent from my iPhone
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Yes. I’ve been on a long hiatus. After years of doing this type of thing I had become a bit burned out. The time off has given me the opportunity to think about things in a more senior citizen kind of way. I have also upped my self inflicted WordPress rating from “PG” to “R”. Should make topics a tad less restrictive.
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