Man sets record by eating 21 matzo balls in just over five minutes

[matcom]

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A world championship was on the line, and Eric Booker was determined to win. So he went to a deli, bought a few matzo balls, took them back to his home in Copiague and placed them on his kitchen table.

And he began to talk to the matzo balls.

"What's the quickest way of eating you?" Booker asked. When the conversation was over, he had his answer:

In thirds, and like an apple. Booker now holds the world record: 21 baseball-sized matzo balls in five minutes and 25 seconds.

"You might think I'm crazy," Booker said. "It's like in Star Trek when you mind-meld with the food. Half the battle is knowing what you're up against ... It's basically knowing the food."

Booker is one of an increasing number of men and women who are making a sport of knowing food. Their specialty is eating a ton, and eating it fast.

The 6-5, 395-pound Booker, whose nickname is Badlands, is one of the stalwarts of competitive eating, a phenomenon of mushrooming popularity. It is, literally, a growth sport.

Competitive eating long has been a staple of county fairs, and Nathan's has held its Fourth of July hot dog eating contest on Coney Island for decades. But the menu has multiplied considerably in the past few years. Nowadays, competitive eaters have a 70-stop pro circuit with over-the-top introductions, colorful play-by-play commentary, brand name sponsors, prize money ranging up to $10,000 for the winner, and titles in foods ranging from chicken wings to chili, cannoli to cheesecake.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-speat1126,0,5994744,print.story?coll=ny-top-headlines