Mainers Responsible for Popularity of Competetive Eating

NYT:

At noon Eastern on Sunday, tens of thousands of onlookers and millions of
television viewers will wonder how someone like last year’s champion, Joey
Chestnut, can swallow a record 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. A few may
wonder who is responsible. One is a 45-year-old named George Shea, who dons a
straw hat and spews full-throated commentary and tall tales of gorging glory as
the M.C. The other is his brother Rich, 41, who provides tongue-in-cheek
observations for television. Thank them. Blame them. Curse them. Relish them.

Until reading this article I'd forgotten I'd witnessed history when I stood in the parking lot of Costa Vida (now Loco Baja Grill) in South Portland and watched the fourth-ranked competitive eater in the world devour 10 3/4, 18-ounce burritos in 12 minutes en route to winning the 2007 edition of the Costa Vida World Burrito Eating Championship. Ah, the memories.

- John C.L. Morgan

P.S. Video of the 2008 version of the event can be seen here.