Oddly Enough
By Jennifer Coogan
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Japanese man devoured 53 3/4 hotdogs in 12 minutes Tuesday to break his own world record but Takeru Kobayashi said he really prefers tofu.
A crowd of 25,000 watched Kobayashi, 27, take his sixth annual July 4 hotdog eating title at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Most cheered for his arch rival Joey Chestnut from San Jose, California, whose final tally was 52 hotdogs.
"I'm not happy with the result, I'm going to be back," Kobayashi said through a translator. "I can do more but I'm not sure I want to tell you (how many)," he said, adding that hotdogs are not even his favorite food and he prefers tofu.
Standing just five foot six and weighing 170 pounds (77 kg) before the contest, Kobayashi proved size isn't everything in competitive eating.
Under pressure from the 22-year-old Chestnut who stands six foot one and 225 pounds (102 kg), Kobayashi kept his cool throughout the contest, maintaining a steady pace.
Chestnut, winner of the world deep fried asparagus eating championship, strained and turned red as he shoved fistfuls of hotdog into his mouth.
After his win Kobayashi bit into another hotdog to celebrate as he posed for photographers.
He was one of 20 competitors in the contest at the Nathan's beachfront hotdog stand. Standing in front of a long table on a stage, the eaters dipped the dogs in soft-drinks to help them go down, monitored closely by judges who kept count.