Once again, a skinny 132 pound kid has kicked America's ass in Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, downing a whopping "53 1/2" dogs in 12 minutes to claim the title for the fourth freakin' time in a row.
Ordinarily I'd be a little disappointed in those representing the good ol' U.S. of A. for losing (and on the 4th of July, too!) -- but as WatchMeEatAHotDog.Com exclaims:
- . . . the fact that he always completely shatters his competition isn't what makes him great. What makes Kobayashi great is the style and grace with which he performs. To see a 130 pound, 20 something Japanese kid come in and completely destroy a group of 300+ pound American slobs is amazing, but the fact that he takes it in stride and doesn't get cocky is truly inspirational. He carries himself with an air of genuine nobility and class, with the charisma and dignity of a true champion. He took a sport that had previously been a spectacle of people piggishly stuffing as much food as possible into their mouths and transformed it into a science, into an art, and into something that is worth being celebrated.
I love Nathan's hot dogs as well . . . in moderation, like most other things. =)
My wife was somewhat suprised to see the event covered by ESPN -- but no less strange, she thought, than watching a bunch of guys play professional poker on television.
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