From Ben Muessig, AOL News :
(May 3) — What’s it take to eat 275 fiery jalapeno peppers in 10 minutes? Preparation, passion and a lot of Pepto-Bismol.
Sunday’s La Costena “Feel the Heat” Jalapeno Eating Challenge is considered one of the most difficult events on the competitive eating circuit. So it’s no surprise that winner Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti relied on complicated pre-contest rituals to beat the heat in San Antonio, Texas, for his second jalapeno-eating victory.
After having his hot pepper dreams crushed last year in overtime by Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, Bertoletti took back the title with a stunning double overtime victory against his arch rival.
And he has America’s dairy farmers to thank.
Bertoletti told AOL News that he spent the hours before the contest downing milk, milk shakes and stomach medicine to prepare his body for the heat.
“My natural capacity is very high, but I go the extra mile to coat my stomach beforehand. I try to front load with a neutralizer — a lot of Pepto, and milk and milkshakes to set the stage stomach for the acidity that’s coming.”
But no matter how much he prepares, the mohawked eater — who works as a chef in Chicago when he’s not chowing down as a pro — says the jalapenos still cause him a great deal of discomfort.
“If I’m doing well, I block out all feeling throughout the competition,” Bertoletti said. “Usually the spice doesn’t bother me, but by the end, the effects are all compounded. Then five or 10 minutes after, I feel the burn.
“The burning in your mouth will go away in 20 minutes, but you’ll feel it in your stomach for 24 hours to 30 hours,” Bertoletti added. “Last year, the burn in my lower intestines was extra strong because I knew I had lost.”
But this year, that burn came with a new world record — and $2,700 in prize money.
Obviously, the biggest challenge in competitive eating is simply consuming such huge portions. But adding spice can make matters much more difficult, according to Major League Eating chairman George Shea.
“Jalapenos are without any question one of the most difficult foods,” said Shea, who told AOL News that the pepper contest is an aberration from most competitive eating events, which focus on what he calls “kitchen cabinet” foods.
Despite the heat, Shea says the jalapeno contest is safe, though it’s certainly not for those with weak stomachs.
“I have heard from eaters that it requires a knowledge that the commitment is not limited to the period of eating. I refuse to go further as a gentleman.”
But spice isn’t the only culinary characteristic that makes some foods more difficult for eating contests.
In fact, cannolis turn out to be one of competitive eating’s toughest cookies.
“The cannoli has a hard shell and can really rip up the roof of your mouth — that’s called the ‘Cap ‘N Crunch Effect,’” Shea said. “The knowledgeable guys dunk them in coffee.”
Though coffee can soften the Italian pastries, cannoli-eating champ Crazy Legs Conti — who ate 20 1/2 cannolis in six minutes — says combining the sweets with coffee can cause vicious sugar and caffeine highs.
For that reason, Shea usually keeps sugary contests short, and ice cream is no exception.
“If you were to allow a competitive eater to eat ice cream for 12 or 15 minutes, they would eat so much ice cream that it would cool down their body’s core temperature. It’s a possible safety issue. You can’t have someone eat 4 or 5 gallons of ice cream. For that reason, when we do an ice cream contest, it has to be very brief.”
Shea says Major League Eating officials carefully plan events to avoid unnecessary health risks, and keep medical professionals on hand in case something goes wrong.
But risks remain.
First-time participants in lobster-eating competitions have suffered cuts while trying to break through the crustaceans’ tough shells.
“The smart ones wear gloves,” Shea said.
Despite digestive pain, sugar highs and even lacerations, gluttons across the country are hungry for the chance to establish themselves on the competitive eating circuit.
Though some eaters choose their competitions sparingly, Bertoletti says he’ll eat in any contest, even if he dislikes the food that’s on the plate.
But after downing 275 jalapeno peppers, food is the last thing on his mind.
“Things to buy for the flight after jalapenos: [D]epends, 8 rolls of toilet paper, sympathy cards for sthwest clean up crew,” he wrote on Twitter.
05/13/2010 at 2:21 pm
well this was really interesting, “If you were to allow a competitive eater to eat ice cream for 12 or 15 minutes, they would eat so much ice cream that it would cool down their body’s core temperature. It’s a possible safety issue. You can’t have someone eat 4 or 5 gallons of ice cream. For that reason, when we do an ice cream contest, it has to be very brief.”
I never knew that could happen to your body.
Now this part was simply to funny, “Things to buy for the flight after jalapenos: [D]epends, 8 rolls of toilet paper, sympathy cards for sthwest clean up crew,” he wrote on Twitter.
Rick b
05/13/2010 at 2:26 pm
so, was this whole jalapeno peppers or sliced peppers.
05/14/2010 at 5:53 pm
There is no way someone could eat 275 whole
jalapenos in 10 minutes. That would be like a couple
of gallons of the things.
05/14/2010 at 7:06 pm
Believe it or not, the contests are with whole jalapenos. I don;t know how, but these freaks of nature are able to expand their stomachs for these things.
05/14/2010 at 9:10 pm
They practice expanding their stomachs by drinking gallons of water.
05/14/2010 at 10:06 pm
Of course, drinking gallons of water within a short period of time can be very dangerous in and of itself.
05/14/2010 at 10:27 pm
They work their way up by doing about 2 quarts and going up from their. But it can be dangerous because you dilute the body’s nutrients.
05/15/2010 at 6:58 pm
that’s a bunch o peppers!