There is restaurant by the name of Big Texan that serves incredibly huge meal for $72.00. It consists of a 72 ounce steak along with shrimp cocktail, salad, baked potato and dinner roll. In fact, any person who can finish eating the entire meal within one hour will receive a full refund (The Big Texan). Very few people can finish eating the steak even when everyone in the restaurant cheers them on. If red meat is not preferred, there are plenty of other competitive eating events to consider. Imagine entering a pie eating contest at the annual Great American Pie Festival in Florida (American Pie Council). In this case, the food will not be as hard to swallow as a giant piece of steak. Eating contests are very popular. For anyone who has ever planned to participate in this kind of competition, there are three steps that must be done to secure the first place prize.
The first thing that a contestant must do is avoid drinking fluids prior to the contest. There should be no water or carbonated drinks in the stomach before consuming a large amount of food. If a person has had a couple of drinks, they will begin to feel somewhat full even before eating food. Making sure the body is moderately hungry really helps. However, do not wait until the body feels pain from hunger. When this happens, stomach cramps can begin in the lower abdomen. The discomfort doesn’t readily go away with eating after the contest starts. Plenty of rest the night before helps as well. The body will require energy to complete the food eating challenge. While eating during the contest, it is fine to take a sip of water prior to swallowing. It might help the food go down faster and with greater ease. Bear in mind, the amount should be no more than one quarter of a cup of water. Anything more would be a gulp of water pushing down with a mouthful of food. When that happens, a feeling of discomfort in the upper chest cavity that mimics heartburn is inevitable. In summary, drink no water before the contest. During the contest, only small sips of waters should be consumed with food.
STEP TWO: Maximize Time
It is tempting to glance over at the other competitors to see if they are getting ahead. This is the wrong thing to do. Maximizing time is of most importance. Following step one helps with this point since starting on an empty stomach allows for fast eating. The two main ways to stay ahead of the other contestants are simple. First, take less than two minutes to cut the food into pieces at the beginning. If it is meat then it should be cut into manageable chunks. If it is pie or another soft type of food, larger sections can be cut. After pieces of food are prepared, it is easy to finish eating quickly. The second tip for step two applies to the contest at the Big Texan restaurant. It makes sense to combine the lettuce or potatoes with pieces of meat. The vegetables make the meat easier to chew and swallow. Chomping through a huge steak can happen so much faster when applying this tactic.
STEP THREE: Breathing
Strategic breathing is something that people might not think about. While chewing food, it is essential to breath in each time that food enters the mouth. Exhale the air slowly through the nose while chewing quickly. This helps to avoid inhaling and exhaling rapidly through the nose. Rapid breathing while chewing food can cause coughing. Coughing will trigger a protective instinct to have a long gulp of water. This violates the first two steps necessary to win. Lastly, while breathing, it is important to sit up straight instead of being hunched over the plate.
Like all activities, moderation is the key. One contest per year should be sufficient. Frequently enrolling the body in eating competitions is taxing on the vital organs. The saturated fat, sodium and preservatives in red meat, pork and poultry are taxing on the cardiovascular system and the liver. Funnel cakes, pies and other desserts consumed in large quantities are taxing on the pancreas and blood sugar levels. In fact, it might be a good idea to consult a physician to make sure that it would be fine to enroll in food eating events. As long as a person is not diabetic or under a physician’s care for a serious illness then eating contests might be permissible. Remember that what matters most is not winning or losing. The event is really meant for enjoying time with friends and family. Plenty of laughter should help push the food down nicely. Don’t laugh until the contest is over.
References
The Big Texan, . "Home of the Free 72 oz. Steak." The Big Texan. The Big Texan Steak Ranch, 2014. Web. 13 Jul. 2014. <http://bigtexan.com/72oz-steak-rules/>.
American Pie Council, . "The 2014 Great American Pie Festival." American APC Pie Council. American Pie Council, 2014. Web. 13 Jul. 2014. <http://www.piecouncil.org/Events/GreatAmericanPieFestival>.
