The 400-pound winner of the Maui onion eating contest (9 OZ. in 1 min.)

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/07/08/maui.onion.ap/index.html



HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Some essentials to bring to Maui: Golf clubs, swimsuit and sunscreen. Binoculars during whale-watching season. And there's the less obvious: Breath mints.

Visitors to Hawaii's gorgeous Valley Island should consider keeping some handy when attending the annual Maui Onion Festival, which celebrates all things related to the beloved, homegrown, super-sweet bulbous plant.

The upcoming onion party, it its 16th year, runs August 6-7 and will be held at the open-air Whalers Village Fine Shops & Restaurants on Kaanapali Beach. It will feature demonstrations from local chefs complete with tasting, a Maui onion recipe contest, Maui products and produce, entertainment and games -- including the onion toss.

The highlight of the two-day festival is the celebrated raw Maui onion eating contest, including a kid's division. Last year's adult winner was 400-pound (180-kilogram) professional human vacuum Eric Booker of New York, who gobbled 9 ounces of raw onion in a minute and dethroned hometown favorite and seven-time Maui onion king Eric Siegmund.