Los Angeles is enjoying a hot dog renaissance

It's boom time for hot dogs in L.A. Pink's and Tommy's are going strong, with newcomers Dog Haus, Federal Bar, Slaw Dogs, Coney Dog and Papaya King raising the stakes. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times
November 10, 2011
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-1110-hot-dog-town-20111110,0,431105.story

"Mickey, make me a combo, will ya?" yells Coney Dog owner Mike Binder at a grill cook from his table midway across his bustling West Hollywood restaurant. Then he flashes a broad grin. "I've been waiting my whole life to have a restaurant, just so I could do that."

The combo soon comes out. It's a deluxe Coney dog nestled inside a Detroit loose burger (which is crumbled ground beef as opposed to a patty) in a freshly steamed bun, smothered with chili.

"That's the Rolls-Royce of hot dogs, right there," says Binder, who is better known as a comedian and director but whose passion for Detroit-style dogs has consumed him for the last year.

He's not alone. Los Angeles is in the midst of a hot dog renaissance, with a cluster of recent openings signaling a hunger for that most sentimental of meals: tender tubular meat in a bun covered with toppings, or naked except for mustard.

Like the burger before it, and in tandem with the current German sausage craze, the hot dog has gone gourmet, with restaurants taking it seriously enough to dream up all kinds of wild combinations. In addition to the tried-and-true, like Pink's and Tommy's dogs, diners can now nosh on the Sooo Cali at Dog Haus in Pasadena, which waters mouths with mixed greens, chopped tomatoes, tempura-fried onions, house-made spicy basil aioli and avocados; or the Vegan Weena, on the new hot dog menu at North Hollywood's Federal Bar, which is a meatless dog topped with chipotle, avocado, cilantro cream and tropical fruit salsa. Then there's the Picnic Dog at Pasadena's Slaw Dogs, which tops a humble grilled dog with barbecue sauce, onion, potato salad and a crisp pickle spear.

The purists also have a seat at the beefy banquet, with places like Coney Dog, Papaya King and Hollywood's Township Kitchen Americana & Saloon paying reverent homage to Detroit, New York and Chicago-style dogs. The first two go so far as to ship in all their ingredients from Detroit and New York in order to replicate their favored dogs as closely as possible. Binder even had a bun steamer custom-made in Detroit that steams the buns from all directions so that they become as soft as marshmallows and just as mild in flavor.

The raison d'être for the recent boom, say wiener enthusiasts, is twofold, and butterflied in the same bun: economics and tradition. The recession is making diners search for value without losing flavor (see the recent food truck boom), while at the same time causing them to go gooey for the traditions of their simpler youth, which, if you were raised in America, were likely wrapped up in hot dogs at some point or another. And Los Angeles, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, is the country's No. 1 consumer of hot dogs, beating out New York City and San Antonio/Corpus Christi.

"In this economy, people want to go back to their roots and have fun," says Andre Vener, who opened Dog Haus a year ago with partners Hagop Giragossian and Quasim Riaz. The original 55-seat restaurant was such a success (seating 600 to 800 people a day) that they just opened a second location, the Dog Haus Biergarten in Old Town Pasadena, which, in addition to beer, features handcrafted cocktails and an '80s party theme. Soon they plan to open a third location in Alhambra.

At Dog Haus, as with most hot dog places, you can get a hot dog, fries or tater tots and a classic soda for less than $10. And you'll leave full. The juicy all-beef dogs come in thick, buttery-sweet King's Hawaiian rolls and are smothered with ingredients. Sauces zigzag in fat lines across the top of most, and melty cheese and onions are plentiful.

"It's not hard to sell anybody on hot dogs or hamburgers," says Giragossian. "They've got that street-food-fun vibe."

Plus kids love them, so families are as common a sight during the day and early evening as clubgoers are in the wee hours of the sodden night, says Matt Erickson, vice president of restaurant operations for SBE hospitality, which opened L.A.'s first branch of New York legend Papaya King in Hollywood and plans to open more in Los Angeles and Nevada, Arizona and Miami.

"Families will drive here from across town, park outside and relax with their tailgates down," Erickson says. The Hollywood location has no seating, which is why Drew Barrymore was spotted one night munching a Papaya King dog while sitting on a curb.

Papaya King, which first opened in New York City in 1932, is known for its slender, all-natural dogs that come in skin casings that give a satisfying snap when you bite into them. The dogs are cooked on top of a foil-covered grill, which is said to enhance the snap. The bright red-and-yellow restaurant also serves as the tongue-in-cheek secret entrance to a ritzy invite-only music venue and bar, called Sayers Club, where such artists as Prince and Perry Farrell hop onstage for impromptu performances, a situation that adds sparkle to the stand's after-hours feeding frenzy. (Papaya King sells more than 600 hot dogs a day.)

Because it's in the middle of Sunset Strip, Coney Dog also feeds long lines of hungry glitterati late at night. Binder, who opened the business with friends and fellow Detroiters Tim Allen and Sam Raimi, uses his Facebook page to advertise specials, sometimes giving coupons for a free hot dog. His Coney dogs are 80% beef, 20% pork and have a little milk in them, but nothing else.

The Coney Island dog of Binder's youth offered two choices: a hot dog with chili or a loose burger. Binder thought he might do the same thing until he realized that such a scheme wouldn't fly in wildly diverse Los Angeles.

"Todd Phillips, the director of 'The Hangover,' came in and said, 'I love your food, but why can't I get sauerkraut?'" says Binder, who resisted at first but now offers all manner of variations, including a classic bacon-wrapped L.A. dog with jalapeños.

"Hot dogs and hamburgers are all about what you did in your childhood," he says, adding that he hopes to make Coney Dog a tradition for a new generation of L.A. youth.

The same goes for the trio of men behind Dog Haus. Since the first restaurant opened, Vener and Riaz's wives have had babies, and Giragossian has married.

"This place is filled with families and kids and babies and strollers," says Vener. "Every kid that comes in here gets a free Otter Pop."

Giragossian laughs as Vener's wife appears on the biergarten patio with Vener's tiny new daughter. "We need to get Dog Haus onesies."

Supermarket Standoff: Hot Dogs

Julia Bainbridge, Bon Appetit
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/636/supermarket-standoff-hot-dogs

We have embarked on a taste test tour of supermarket foods. We nibble, we score, and we share the results to help you avoid the paralysis of Brand Choice Overload.

Today's topic: hot dogs.

This was not just a test of hot dogs. This was a test of gastrointestinal strength. We tried (and retried) 11 kinds of hot dogs to rank them from best of worst--and it was tough. But we care about your Fourth of July grilling session. (For the record, though, our conference room still smells like wieners.)

Of the 11 brands, not all of them were beef, but most were. We tasted them hot and without condiments or bread, and while we chomped and scored, nutritionist Marissa Lippert pored over the package labels. Find our picks for taste and her picks for health after the jump.

But before you do, let us note that we don't really condone highly processed meat products that contain chemicals like sodium nitrite. We strongly believe that meats purchased straight from a butcher who pays close attention to how animals are raised and treated are almost always better than any mass-produced versions. In a pinch, though, it's good to know how things stack up in the aisles of your local grocery store.

Our Favorites for Flavor
#1 Nathan's Famous Beef Franks

Nutrition: One hot dog = 170 Calories, 15g Fat, 6g Saturated Fat, 35mg Cholesterol, 470mg Sodium, 1g Carbohydrates, 0g Sugar, 7g Protein, 4% Iron, 0% Calcium.

Ingredients: Beef, water, contains less than 2% of salt, sorbitol, sodium lactate, natural flavorings, sodium phosphate, hydrolyzed corn protein, paprika, sodium diacetate, sodium erthorbate, sodium nitrite.

Cost: $5.69 for a package of eight hot dogs in New York City.

Blind Tasting Notes: "Classic mix--tastes like childhood"; "Greasy, but yummy anyways"; "This is very close to perfect"; "Can imagine this as a nice condiment vehicle"; "Good texture"; "Salty"; "A little synthetic tasting".

#2 Oscar Mayer Classic Beef Franks

Nutrition: One hot dog = 140 Calories, 13g Fat, 6g Saturated Fat, 30mg Cholesterol, 360mg Sodium, 1g Carbohydrates, ,<1g Sugar, 5g Protein, 2% Iron, 2% Calcium.

Ingredients: Beef, water, contains less than 2% of salt, corn syrup, potassium lactate, dextrose, sodium phosphate, sodium diacetate, flavor, ascorbic acid, extractives of paprika, sodium nitrite.

Cost: $5.69 for a package of ten hot dogs in New York City.

Blind Tasting Notes: "Awesome! Really salty and delicious"; "Very fatty, but good; tastes more like meat"; "Salty but good"; "Smoky--yummy--masks the mystery meat flavor"; "Artificially smoky".

#3 Niman Ranch Fearless Uncured Beef Franks

Nutrition: One hot dog = 167 Calories, 13 g Fat, 5g Saturated Fat, 46 mg Cholesterol, 631 mg sodium, 1g Carbohydrate, 0g Sugar, 12g Protein, 10% Iron, 2% Calcium.

Ingredients: Beef, water, salt, dextrose, mustard, paprika, garlic, sodium phosphate, celery powder, nonfat dry milk, lactic acid starter culture, spices.

Cost: $6.99 for a package of four hot dogs in New York City.

Blind Tasting Notes: "Sweet, juicy, and not overwhelmingly salty"; "Beef flavor it strong, but then there's a plastic aftertaste"; "Nothing really exciting here"; "Chewy casing".

Nutritionist Marissa Lippert's Picks

A note from Marissa: "It's hard to say really what's 'healthy' because when you boil things down, a hot dog is a hot dog. It's a nostalgic summertime food, it's pretty darn tasty and, in the end, it's just not all that good for you. That being said, to sift out the more 'healthful' ones from the bunch, I turned to the ingredient list. An all-natural hot dog may be higher in calories, sodium and fat, but at least it's not loaded with a bunch of processed filler ingredients. My take-home answer: Have fewer dogs over the summer and make 'em really, really good!"

#1 Niman Ranch Fearless Uncured Beef Franks

Nutrition: One hot dog = 167 Calories, 13 g Fat, 5g Saturated Fat, 46 mg Cholesterol, 631 mg sodium, 1g Carbohydrate, 0g Sugar, 12g Protein, 10% Iron, 2% Calcium.

Ingredients: Beef, water, salt, dextrose, mustard, paprika, garlic, sodium phosphate, celery powder, nonfat dry milk, lactic acid starter culture, spices.

Cost: $6.99 for a package of four hot dogs in New York City.

Blind Tasting Notes: "Sweet, juicy, and not overwhelmingly salty"; "Beef flavor it strong, but then there's a plastic aftertaste"; "Nothing really exciting here"; "Chewy casing".

#2 Wellshire Farms Old Fashioned Oversized Uncured Beef Franks

Nutrition: One hot dog = 230 Calories, 20g Fat, 8g Saturated Fat, 50mg Cholesterol, 720mg Sodium, 1g Carbohydrates, 1g Sugar, 11g Protein, 6% Iron, 2% Calcium.

Ingredients: Beef, water, sea salt, evaporated cane juice, celery powder, onion, garlic, natural flavorings.

Cost: $5.99 for a package of five hot dogs in New York City.

Our Assessment: Hmm. The biggest complaints about this one were that is was too sweet, that it had a weird, rubbery mouthfeel, and that its flavor was bland. Not in high standing, unfortunately.

#3 Whole Foods 365 Jumbo Uncured Beef Hot Dogs

Nutrition: One hot dog = 250 Calories, 21g Fat, 9g Saturated Fat, 60mg Cholesterol, 780mg Sodium, 1g Carbohydrates, 1g Sugar, 14g Protein, 8% Iron, 2% Calcium.

Ingredients: Beef, water, vinegar, sea salt, cane sugar, celery powder, cherry powder, onion, garlic, natural flavors (contains soy).

Cost: $5.99 for a package of four hot dogs in New York City.

Our Assessment: This rates somewhere in the middle. The good comments: "Really good spice balance"; "Nice sweetness/saltiness ratio"; "More sausage-y--thick, fatty." The bad comments: "Bologna-esqe--weird sweetness"; "Too sweet to be called a hot dog"; "The texture is too uniform/smooth".

How the hot dog became the most American food

Served everywhere from Coney Island to the FDR White House, the wiener has come to symbolize our way of life
Felisa Rogers, Eatymology
Saturday, Jun 11, 2011
http://www.salon.com/food/feature/2011/06/11/hot_dog_history/index.html

As the Coney Island boardwalk gives way to textured cement, and traditional Coney Island haunts such as Ruby's and the Cha Cha celebrate their last summer in the shadow of forced demolition, it seems an opportune time to take a look at the history of Coney Island's most iconic emblem: the hot dog.

Although Coney Island is at the epicenter of hot dog history, the dog did not originate on the boardwalk. The lowbrow snack is the bastard American descendant of sausages brought to the New World by immigrants from Germany and Austria (hence the origin of a word that has been getting a lot of press lately: "wiener," which stems from the name of Austria's capital, Vienna, or Wien). Sausage vending was a relatively inexpensive home business for upwardly mobile immigrants, and by the 1860s, the strolling meat purveyors were a fixture of urban street scenes. On September 1894, the Duluth News Tribune described a visit to Chicago:

More numerous than the lunch wagon is the strolling salesman of "red hots." This individual clothed in ragged trousers, a white coat and cook's cap, and unlimited cheek, obstructs the night prowler at every corner. He carries a tank in which are swimming and sizzling hundreds of Frankforters or Wieners. These mysterious denizens of the steaming deep are sold for five cents, which modest charge includes an allowance of horseradish or some other tear-producing substance.
Early frankfurters were prepared in small butcher shops or kitchens and probably featured a coarser grind of meat than does the average modern hot dog, which is the product of emulsifying technology. But it's hard to pinpoint "average." Even today, the definition of "hot dog" is vague: Hot dogs can be made of beef or pork or both, with or without casings. According to the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink: "Most hot dogs are made from emulsified or finely chopped skeletal meats, but some contain organs and other 'variety' meats."

The origin of the term "hot dog" is so contentious that there is a 300-page scholarly book on the subject. The author, David Cohen, has been researching the term since 1978. His co-author, the incomparable word sleuth Barry Popik (who is famous in etymology circles for his contributions to the academic study of the word "dude") uncovered the proletarian dog's curiously blue-blooded roots: "Hot dog" was popular slang on the Yale campus in the 1890s; the "dog" was a humorous reference to the dubious origins of sausage meat. As Cohen says, "College students since time immemorial have combined a keen sense of wit with occasional bad taste. Both came into play in referring to a hot sausage as 'hot dog.' The term at first was disgusting, but of course it gradually caught on."

To complicate matters further: Since the publication of Cohen's "Origin of the Term 'Hot Dog,'" an earlier printed reference to hot dogs has emerged: an 1892 article in New Jersey's Paterson Daily Press:

The "hot dog" was quickly inserted in a gash in a roll, a dash of mustard also splashed on to the "dog" with a piece of flat whittled stick, and the order was fulfilled.

Although Germans traditionally serve bread with sausages, our modern hot dog bun may in fact be a product of Coney Island. A 1904 obituary for Ignatz Frischmann describes the Austrian baker as an innovator who experimented until he invented the perfect "Vienna roll" with which to supply Coney Island hot dog vendors. By the time of Frischmann's death, his rolls were indelibly associated with the hot dog. When dealing with such a controversial issue, it's best to get a second opinion. We asked hot dog historian Bruce Kraig (the author of "Hot Dog: A Global History") to confirm the theory, and he said, "I don't see why the Frischmann story can't be true. His creation was emulated by many afterward." In academic terms, that's practically a ringing endorsement.

While it's amusing to imagine academic types devoting a lifetime to the study of "hot dog" etymology, perhaps it's no more ridiculous than anything else. Historians have written treatises on the provenance of Bach's Sonata number 3. Who's to say the humble hot dog should not receive equal attention? The story of the hot dog is the story of the industrious immigrant, the genius of marketing, the creative cook, the boy at the ballpark, the illustrious academic. American nostalgia for the hot dog is almost unequaled: In the popular imagination the hot dog is synonymous with summertime, baseball, camping and, of course, the working man's Riviera.

A Mecca of glittering Americana, Coney Island had it all: racetracks, roller coasters, and legendary amusement parks: Steeplechase Park, Luna Park, and Dreamland, which was ablaze with 1 million electric lights. (On a 1907 visit, Maxim Gorky described Coney Island as a "fantastic city all of fire.") Three rambling luxury hotels catered to the elite, while the Elephant Hotel, which was shaped like an actual elephant (with a cigar store in one leg) had a reputation for prostitution. Prostitutes, dance hall girls, hucksters, gamblers and drunks provided entertainment in other nefarious blocks such as "The Gut," a shantytown in West Brighton, and the Ocean View Walk, a fetid alley nicknamed "The Bowery" because it resembled the dangerous and degenerate Manhattan neighborhood of the same name. While the rich dined on clams at seafood palaces such as Villepigue's, the poor picnicked on sausages from one of the beach resort's many stands.

Charles Feltman is credited with opening Coney Island's first hot dog restaurant, but Kraig debunks the story as a myth, pointing out that Feltman's restaurant was a seafood joint.

"By the 1880s there were many sausage sellers at Coney Island, but Feltman was not one of them. As a good German, he did serve sausages, but in fact he disliked hot dog vendors," Kraig says, adding, "In 1886 he is reported to have railed against sausage stands. Likely the Feltman story came from his association with the great hot dog entrepreneur and publicity genius, Nathan Handwerker."

Handwerker emigrated from Poland and got a job at Feltman's restaurant in 1916. After working there for a year, Handwerker saved enough money to open his own hot dog stand. The hot dogs were produced according to his wife, Ida's, recipe, and Handwerker cooked the dogs on a 12-foot grill. When the subway increased traffic to Coney Island in the 1920s, he was poised to capitalize on the low-budget hordes. Four years after coming to America, Handwerker had founded an empire -- between 1930 and 1950, Nathan's sold up to 50,000 dogs a day. Nathan's dogs are now sold internationally under the slogan "America's Favorite Hot Dog," though I prefer an older Nathan's slogan: "From a Hot Dog to a National Habit."

Like many of our other national habits, the hot dog is complicated. For example, the deep-fried "Texas hot weiner" is not from Texas -- it was invented in Paterson, N.J., by a Greek immigrant who drew on his own cultural roots to create a "Texas chili dog" with a chili reminiscent of Greek spaghetti sauce, savory with slow-cooked meat, cayenne, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and cumin. (A dog's historical origins are always disputed -- Pittsburgh, Pa., and Olean, N.Y., also have claims on the Texas hot weiner.)

Meanwhile, the "Coney" should not be confused with a hot dog from Coney Island -- Coneys (chili dogs as interpreted by Macedonian immigrants) are a beloved Midwestern tradition. And "New York System" is the name of a type of dog sold in Providence, R.I. The dog's esteem in the public eye is equally varied. Hot dogs were so indelibly lower class that the Coney Island chamber of commerce attempted to sever the association between hot dogs and Coney Island: In 1913, it passed a resolution forbidding the use of the word "hot dog" on signage. But by 1938, the dog was on the upswing: Eleanor Roosevelt insisted that hot dogs were on the menu when Crown Princess Louise of Sweden picnicked with the Roosevelts on Duchess Hill. Evidently encouraged by the Louise's reaction, the first lady served hot dogs again in 1939, when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England visited America. Though the queen ate her hot dog with a knife and fork, the meal was a success. To the embarrassment of some of the royal couple's stuffier cohorts, the king returned for a second helping. The New York Times reported:

It was with some obvious misgivings that Mr. McDermott first conceded ... that the King had eaten hot dogs at the picnic. He said that it was safe to assume that the King had done so since he had announced that he had been looking forward to the chance of sampling the favorite American snack. Later it was ascertained that the King not only came back for more hot-dog sandwiches but that he drank beer with them.
Eleanor's menus prompted the term "hot dog diplomacy," most recently applied to President Obama's dealings with Iran.

There's a hot dog to reflect every facet of America's cultural landscape. In Anchorage, Alaska, reindeer dogs reign supreme. Southerners tout slaw dogs. In Texas you can order a deep-friend coyote tail, or a hot dog wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep fried. The Tijuana dog (wrapped in bacon and piled with traditional taco toppings and conventional dog condiments) has been slowly migrating across the country since the 1950s. An East Coast variation called the Jersey breakfast dog is served with eggs. The Sonora dog, popular in Arizona, is served on a delicious bolillo (a baguette-like roll that probably stems from the French invasion of Mexico in 1861). During the "exotic" food fads of the 1960s, Chinese hot dogs (dogs wrapped like Chinese dumplings) appeared at dinner parties. Kraig believes that the famous Chicago dog (a steamed poppy seed bun cradling an all-beef dog, topped with tomatoes, minced raw onion, peppers, pickle spear, tomato slices, celery salt and neon relish) is the result of immigrant hot dog vendors in the 1920s who sought to one-up each other by offering insane quantities of toppings. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, you'll find the Philly combo, a kosher-inspired classic that involves an all-beef hot dog and a potato-and-fish cake.

Apart from the variations in actual dogs, the variations in vernacular are equally dizzying: You can eat a dirty water dog (New York/New Jersey 1990s), a pimp steak (Harlem, 1940s), a tube steak (1930s), a red hot (Chicago, 1860s), or just, tellingly, Coney Island chicken.

Felisa Rogers studied history and nonfiction writing at the Evergreen State College and went on to teach writing to kids for five years. She lives in Oregon’s coast range, where she works as a freelance writer and editor.

Joey Chestnut wins 4th title in row

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=5354045

July 4, 2010
Joey Chestnut wins 4th title in row
Thomas Neumann
Page 2
Joey Chestnut ate 54 hot dogs to win his 4th straight Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Michael Jordan. Wayne Gretzky. Lance Armstrong. Michael Phelps.

Joey Chestnut.

It probably seems insane to mention a hot dog eating champion in the same breath as four of the most dominant athletes in history.

Indeed, that would be insane ... because Chestnut supplanted the man who belongs in that group.

Before Chestnut came along, Takeru Kobayashi owned the sport of competitive eating. (Incidentally, anything televised on ESPN must be a sport -- "Magic The Gathering" notwithstanding -- according to our logic.) Kobayashi won the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, the most prestigious event on the competitive eating circuit, six consecutive years. He owned myriad world records and single-handedly catapulted the sport into our collective consciousness.

Then he was felled by Chestnut at the Nathan's contest. Now, four years in a row. ... Eclipsed. Superseded. Pillaged. Usurped.

The 26-year-old Californian, you see -- unlike Jordan, Gretzky, Armstrong and Phelps -- belongs in a class unto himself.

On Sunday, Chestnut won his fourth consecutive championship, eating 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Second place went to Tim "Eater X" Janus with 45 hot dogs. Chestnut was disappointed with his performance, despite claiming the bejeweled, mustard-yellow belt plus a $20,000 purse. He was aiming to beat his record of 68 last year.

The highlight (or lowlight, depending on your point of view) of the day was when Chestnut was upstaged by the surprise appearance of Kobayashi, who did not compete but crashed the stage after Chestnut's win and wrestled with police. Kobayashi, who blamed a contract dispute for not competing, was under arrest, charged with resisting arrest, trespass and obstructing governmental administration.

But let's focus on the winner:

Page 2: How did you get started in competitive eating?

Chestnut: My little brother [Willy] signed me up to a lobster-eating contest in Reno, and I was really apprehensive. I thought the whole idea was weird. But if you agreed to do the contest, you got a free night at a hotel. I was like, 'All right,' because I'd just turned 21. So I kind of fell into that first contest, and I was nervous. I ended up tying for third, and I thought I could have done so much better. Two weeks later, there was an asparagus-eating contest, and I won. After that, I knew my body was made for it. I was addicted.

How far in advance do you begin preparing for a contest?

It depends on the contest, but usually I get my body into a cycle. For a regular contest, it will take only a week. I'll do a practice contest, fast three days, do another practice contest and then fast three days before the contest.

For hot dogs, I've been training a couple months -- just getting my body used to ingesting and digesting massive amounts of hot dogs. Pushing for new records, and just getting used to it.

You've been eating competitively for five years now. Do you feel like you've perfected your routine and training regimen?

I know my body. I feel comfortable pushing my body to ridiculous limits. I know when I'm pushing a little too hard. It's taken a lot of practice and keeping a diary of how I feel when I'm eating and when I'm recovering.

Can a person make a living as a competitive eater?

You know, I could be making a living. I've done very well in competitive eating, but my mom would get furious if I didn't have a regular job. ... I make good money -- well into six figures -- but I know eventually I'm going to have to stop and have a normal job just like everybody else.

What's your relationship with Kobayashi, who was arrested Sunday for scuffling with police and did not compete?

I respect him. He's the reason why I push myself so hard. Other than that, he's a competitor. We respect each other's ability, but we're all business when we're around each other.

We've all heard the whispers. Is there any truth to the rumor that Japan's government once funded an operation to add a second stomach to Kobayashi?

When I first started competitive eating, everyone told me he couldn't be beaten. When I told the other Americans I wanted to beat him, they were like, 'You can't beat him.' And they got mad at me. But he's a human being, and so am I. I can be beaten, and I enjoy beating him. He pushes himself to crazy limits, and I enjoy smashing him.

[Editor's note: He never did answer the question. Hmmm.]

You hold the world record by eating 68 dogs at last year's Nathan's contest and ate 54 Sunday. Is the 70-dog mark the equivalent of the four-minute mile?

I sure hope not, because I want to be the only one who does it. The four-minute mile, a bunch of people started doing it after [the barrier was broken]. ... But it's something I know I can do.

You've eaten 72 in practice, right?

Yeah, in under 10 minutes. When my body is working for me, I'm not thinking about eating. I'm just thinking about all the little steps, like dunking the buns for the right amount of time and swallowing. Just do my job and eat like I did at the beginning of the contest.

Are there endorsements for the best competitive eaters?

You bet there are. Pepto-Bismol stepped up. I'm going to be doing a series of contests for them in August. That worked out perfectly, because I already drink Pepto-Bismol.

So Pepto and Immodium aren't considered performance-enhancing drugs?

I sure hope not. I drink the pink all the time.

Are there competitive eating groupies?

Heh, heh. I do pretty good. But it's not that girls like competitive eaters. They like winners, and I win pretty consistently. It's not a bad gig for me to travel around the country. ... Hopefully I don't end up like Tiger Woods. I'm not married, though.

How would LeBron James fare on the competitive-eating circuit?

He'd be pretty decent if he wanted to do it. He's a big, bad man. I'm sure he could put down some dogs. I heard Shaquille O'Neal can put down 40 dogs.

At first glance, it seems like the bigger guys should be able to eat more. You have a regular build. What's the secret?

It's not really a secret. When you think about it, you can't really expect a 400-pound person to push himself very hard. Two minutes into the contest, he'll be out of breath. He won't even be able to talk to you, he's so out of breath. It's weird, because we're actually working, pushing our body and using muscles. I'm using muscles in my jaw, my throat, my esophagus, all the way down to my stomach. I'm trying to push everything down to the bottom. I'm jumping up and down, sweating like a madman.

What's your diet like outside of competition?

After the Fourth of July, I'm gonna be eating a lot of barbecue. I'm looking forward to that. Sometimes, I'll get carried away and eat maybe two or three times as much as a normal person. I love chicken wings. It's not unheard of for me to order a 30-piece. ... But after I've rewarded myself for training, I'll get back onto a normal diet.

Just once in a while, I'll get carried away. And once in a while, I'll forget to eat. I've practiced ignoring the feelings of hunger and being full for so long, I don't even feel them anymore.

There have been some "reversal of fortune" controversies in recent years. Does competitive eating need instant replay?

Not for me. But Kobayashi, he gets away with stuff. Nobody wants to pull the trigger and DQ him. Nobody wants to be the man who DQ'd the legend. It's not a big deal if I'm ahead, but hopefully it's a clean contest this year.

The Rocky Mountain oyster eating world championship will be held on Aug. 28. Please discuss.

I'll be honest, I didn't know what they were at first. Then they were explained to me, and I said, 'No, I'm not going to do that! No amount of money. In California, we don't eat those.' No. No. ... No.

Is there an unbreakable record in your sport? What's the Joe DiMaggio 56-game hitting streak of competitive eating?

There was a day when I ate 47 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes, and I was on. Those things were flying down. I looked around, and nobody was even close. ... I can't see Kobayashi breaking it, because he doesn't like the dairy that much.

Besides hot dogs, what are some of your other favorite disciplines?

If there's a chicken wing or rib contest, I'm in. I love 'em. Ribs -- they go down easy, I have a great technique and I enjoy the food. Chicken wings -- I've been in 12 chicken wings contests, and I've lost one. ... They won't even let me compete anymore in Philadelphia at the Wing Bowl. ... I beat 'em every time. They were throwing bottles at me last time. It was ridiculous.

What kind of medical advice, if any, do you get from doctors?

I do stretch my stomach and push the muscles around, and I have to pay attention to the way I'm feeling -- make sure I'm not stretching things too quickly. ... In the long run, doctors have said I need to be careful about diabetes. So, I intentionally stay away from the sweets contests. They are hardest on the body, because of the way you digest sugar. It throws your body for a loop. But my doctors have been very impressed by the way my body recovers.

Are you a sports fan?

I like the A's and Giants. ... I'm a big [Tim] Lincecum fan. I grew up in Vallejo [Calif.], so I follow CC Sabathia, too.

Speaking of athletes, what do you think about Peyton and Eli Manning licking all those Oreos in their commercials?

They could've done better than that. ... Just eat it!

Do you still attend San Jose State?

They won't give me that damn degree! I'll probably take a couple classes in the fall, but I'm working full time for a construction company as a project engineer. The degree will come eventually.

SJSU has a statue of Olympic heroes Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Are we going to see a statue of Joey Chestnut there someday?

I don't know. They've gotta give me that degree first!

You said your mom doesn't want you to quit your day job. So what do your parents think about your success?

My mom is actually pretty proud. My dad is a teacher, and whenever I get a hat with my name on it, he'll wear it to class. They're happy I've been able to do everything. I'm going to get my civil engineering degree. I've got a normal job -- doing what I want to do. I've got an amazing hobby that's a dream job. When you think about it, I'm getting paid to eat. [Being a] baseball player or rock star might be better, in my mind. But this is what my body was made to do, and I'm enjoying it.

Thomas Neumann is an editor for Page 2.

American keeps hot dog-eating crown in overtime

USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/04/hot.dog.contest/

American keeps hot dog-eating crown in overtime
Story Highlights
Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi tied at 59 hot dogs in 10 minutes
Chestnut retains title by eating five hot dogs first in tiebreaker
Competition length cut to 10 minutes from 12 this year
From Deborah Brunswick
7-4-8

NEW YORK (CNN) -- World-record holder and defending champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut held on to his hot dog-eating title Friday in an unprecedented tie-breaker at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July contest.

Chestnut, of San Jose, California, beat rival Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi, of Japan, in a "dog off" in Coney Island where the two contestants battled to see who could finish five hot dogs first.

Chestnut and Kobayashi tied in the regulation competition, both eating 59 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, a record for a 10-minute competition.

"It was a little messier than I wanted it be, but I got them in me and I got them down," Chestnut said after the competition.

Organizers decided this year to change the contest from 12 minutes to 10 minutes after "a piece of old Brooklyn historical ephemera was found that stated that the first contest, held on July 4th, 1916, was a 10-minute contest," Major League Eating spokesman Ryan Nerz said.

The previous record for a 10-minute contest was 42 hot dogs, held by Tim "Eater X" Janus, Nerz said.

Neither Chestnut nor Kobayashi had previously competed in a 10-minute format.

In last year's competition, Chestnut set a record by eating 66 franks in 12 minutes, ending Kobayshi's six-year reign as winner of the competition. iReport.com: Ever eaten a hot dog at Nathan's?

Chestnut retains the "Coveted Mustard Yellow International Belt" and wins a one-year supply of hot dogs from Nathan's, the sponsor of the annual event, which is held corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn.

Pizza and beer now cost an arm and a leg

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23415510/

Pizza and beer now cost an arm and a leg
Sure sign economy is headed for trouble: Even cheap eats are hard to find
By Al Olson
MSNBC
Fri., Feb. 29, 2008

If you’re looking for a sure sign the U.S. economy is headed in the wrong direction, all you need to do is look at the skyrocketing price of “recession-proof” foods: pizza, hot dogs, bagels and beer.

For many Americans, the credit crunch and the mortgage mess have left their pocketbooks – and their cupboards – bare. These same consumers, many living paycheck to paycheck, have relied on these cheaper foods to keep their expenditures down. Not anymore.
In the past few months, the news has gone from bad to worse:

Pizza makers have seen their cheese costs soar this year from $1.30 a pound to $1.76 a pound. Even worse, the flour used to make the dough has gone from $3-$7 dollars a bushel to $25 a bushel in less than a year.

Beer makers have been forced to raise their prices because of the skyrocketing price of hops – one of the principle ingredients. The price of hops has gone from about $4 a pound in September to $40 a pound. The price of barley, beer’s other main ingredient, has nearly doubled.

Bagel shops have struggled to hold the line on prices and keep their customers. The exploding wheat prices have made the $1 bagel a fact of life in big cities such as New York. Donuts are averaging $1.50. And many shop owners fear a wheat shortage will drive prices even higher.

Even the lowly hot dog is getting more expensive. Gray’s Papaya, a New York hot dog institution, will be jacking up the price for its $3.50 “Recession Special” – two hot dogs and a 14-ounce drink. Nicholas Gray, owner of the frankfurter chain, has yet to set the price increase, but he indicated it is coming soon.

Overall, retail food prices rose 4 percent last year – the biggest jump in 17 years. The USDA officials predicted another 3 percent to 4 percent increase this year and continuing price hikes, faster than the pace of inflation going into 2010. And the price pinch has hit the lower-income shoppers hardest.

Why is this happening? Call it the perfect storm of inflationary pressures.

Bob Goldin, executive vice president of Technomic Inc., a food industry consulting firm, described the cost increases as a "disaster scenario," with no real end in sight and limited ability for most to pass on the bulk of the costs to consumers.

Surging energy costs have driven up the price of transporting goods from farm to storefront. The national average for a gallon of gas jumped to $3.164, creeping closer to last May's record of $3.227, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Diesel prices jumped 1.5 cents to a new record national average of $3.642 a gallon.

While most Americans fuel their cars with gasoline, most of the products they buy are transported by trucks, trains and ships that burn diesel. While gas prices are unlikely to rise as high as $4 a gallon, diesel may well pass that psychologically important level this spring, boosting prices of virtually every consumer product, said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service in Wall, New Jersey.

"It's everything that gets shipped," Kloza said of diesel fuel's impact on the economy. "That is the one that is much scarier."

Another reason for the sharp hike in food prices is the increasing demand for ethanol, which has driven up the price of corn – and at the same time created a shortage of wheat as farmers shift their crop to the more lucrative corn.

“There are several reasons [for higher food prices], but at the core is corn, the largest and most important of agricultural commodities,” said Bill Lapp, president of Advanced Economic Solutions.

Which brings us back to the price of flour — and the pricier pizza. Jimmy Ferrell, owner of the four Fat Jimmy's pizza restaurants in Louisville, Ky., said the price of flour has forced him to pass the cost onto his customers. "You have to raise (prices) a couple times a year just to keep up," he said.

Ferrell thinks the rising flour prices have hurt small operators more than national chains.

"The national chains have a lot more pull and they can negotiate prices. I don't think we have the same buying power that a Papa John's or a Domino's obviously has."

Food industry consultant Goldin doesn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. "There are no simple solutions," he said. "The trend will be to reduce product costs, and some of that may very well affect quality.”

So, how can budget-conscious consumers stretch their dollar? There is one – albeit artery-clogging — alternative.

Fast food companies, looking for a way to attract budget-conscious customers, are increasingly offering more food for less money. The “dollar-menu” option is growing at chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Quiznos.

That's good news for diners like Boston resident Shekia Scott. While lunching with friends at a Burger King, Scott said higher prices for food and gas were hurting her budget. But, she added, "the dollar menu's been a help."

So there you have it. Your best option for cheap eats is a gut-busting McDonald’s double cheeseburger for a buck. Makes you want to cry in your beer … if you can afford it.

The Associated Press and CNBC contributed to this report.