Ahh, the Fourth of July. Hands down, one of my favorite holidays.
After all, it's during summer vacation, the weather is nice and at least in my family, there's the annual tradition of shoving as many crabs as you can down your throat. The smells of Old Bay seasoning and fresh sparkler burns fill the air, and gathering with the family on the roofs of our cars to watch the fireworks display is something I'll always remember.
It's the holiday to end all holidays. But amidst all of the patriotism and sentimental crap baked into this one day, there is one tradition that takes the cake.
Well, at least the frankfurter.
That's right, it's the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, held annually in Coney Island, N.Y.
How great is our society that we can sit and watch a group of people shove as many hot dogs as they can into their mouths in only 12 minutes? For me, it's one of the highlights of the holiday. No wait...my life.
OK, not my life, because that would be a pretty sad life. But the contest does offer a chance to see something really special.
The contest began all the way back in 1916, and has been a staple in American culture ever since. During the late 90s, and into the early part of this decade, the competition was dominated by a most unlikely "athlete," Takeru Kobayashi, who created a dynasty, winning the event six times.
Now the title is held by Joey Chestnut, who after defeating Kobayashi in overtime this past weekend by eating an impressive 59 hot dogs, has earned back-to-back crowns and sits on top of the frankfurter world.
The pure skill it must take for a single person to consume that amount of food in such a short time is mind-boggling. I myself tried to do a variation of the contest, using several delicious McDonald's Chicken McNuggets as my weapon of choice. Needless to say, except for the mess I made on the restaurant table, I did not accomplish my mission.
Oh well, maybe in a few more years.
But until I am able to stomach five dozen hot dogs in just 12 minutes, I'll have to resort to watching it on television, where I hope it'll stay for a long time.
After all, without the contest, all I'll have to look forward to is spending time with my loving family, lighting sparklers in the driveway, and watching fireworks from the roof of my car. And seriously, who wants to spend their Fourth of July that way?
Brian Eller is a senior majoring in journalism and is The Daily Collegian's sports editor. His email is bpe5006@psu.edu.
