In recent food news, a new world record in Bratwurst eating was set this month. The Johnsonville World Brat Eating Championship was held August 5th, and televised recently on ESPN. (They say there will be reruns, so don't despair.) Takeru Kobayashi, the winner, finished with 58 bratwurst consumed in 10 minutes. The man is a machine. He never pauses, hesitates, or shows any sign of fatigue during the entire competition, just calmly puts them away like he's a bottomless pit. Coming off of a Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest in which he was given a fierce challenge by newcomer Joey Chestnut, Kobayashi took this opportunity to leave no doubt that he is still the champ, beating Chestnut's 45 brats by a considerable margin.
Look for competition to heat up this year, though, as there is a considerable crop of talented newcomers in the field, including Pat Bertoletti, Bob Shoudt, and Tim Janus, all of whom beat the reigning record holder Sony "Black Widow" Thomas, who until the last 2 years was the dominant #2 eater in the world behind Kobayashi.
