...As American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, Chevrolet, and Japan? Oh, you'd better believe it! These things (sans the Japanese flag) are what being an American is all about, especially on a week like the first week in July. It's supposed to be a great time however, one New York hot dog stand has wrecked the whole kit and kaboodle and that place is, Nathan's Red Hots. When Nathan's decided to mass produce these weiners and bring them to our midwest supermarkets, they arrived here with very little fanfare. Draw your own conclusion but, New Yorkers still like to argue over who invented deep dish pizza. Because of that, why should Chicagoans care about some silly hot dogs? Besides, Nathan's is co-owned and operated with Kenny Roger's Roasters, a name that will live on forever thanks to the bright neon sign that forced Kramer to switch apartments with Jerry Seinfeld. I gotta tell you, they're a good hot dog but, that's no excuse for Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Championship, a yearly event that in recent years has litterally "gone to the dogs". Now, you might take it for granted that a 400 lb man nicknamed "Big Earl" would be a shoo in win the trophy for most fogs consumed. This hasn't been the case for nearly a decade! What makes this so extraordinary is that the winners have all come from Asia where the average male is 5' tall and weighs in at 130 lbs! Never mind what you hear about education in America,,, this goes to show that Americans are lazy when it comes to eating too! "Big Earl" ought to be ashamed of himself for letting the Japanese win this contest! I would say that maybe the Japanese are more focused and take competition more seriously than us, even if it's just for a silly belt, trophy, and bragging rights. Some of the other things taken more seriously include pro wrestling. Yeah, over there people really do get hurt when broken glass, thumbtacks, barbed wire, and fire work their way into JPW. Game shows are another fine example. Ever see the one where contestants take turns on a real life set of Donkey Kong? This sure isn't Wheel of Fortune! A few years back in one of my posts here I displayed an actual letter that I wrote to Nathan's about how "un-American" it was to award the prizze to another country. Perhaps my timing wasn't too great considering that 9/11 had happened just the year before but, I never did get any feedback. The contest takes a lot more prep work than skipping breakfast that morning like "Big Earl" did! The Japs condition themselves in such a way that the pint sized winner of it all who just got done eating 50 hot dogs buns and all, needs only an hour rest before hitting one of New York's many steakhouses. Grab some mustard, relish, onions, and a pickle on top for a Chicago style dog and help us win back the belt for the 4th of July!
