[nat sound: audience applauding and cheering]
Last Sunday, April 13th, local sushi joint Todoroki hosted their annual sushi-eating contest, in which competitors ate as many of the 50 California rolls given to them in the allotted 12 minutes as they could. Dozens of students turned out for the chance to win free all-you-can-eat sushi once a week for the next 8 weeks, a highly alluring prospect. Jack Tully, a junior in Weinberg studying economics, expressed his enthusiasm…
JACK TULLY: Well, my friend told me about it about 10 minutes ago and I rushed over here; [I] ran 2 red lights to be here.
… and shared his intended strategy.
TULLY: I will just grab as many as I can in my hand and stuff my face.
Even before the consumption competition began, though, a different sort of contest took place.
First person is Laura Salamanca. [applause, cheering]
The staggeringly high interest in the event warranted a lottery draw to select participants in the men’s and women’s face-offs. Additionally, one spot in each round was reserved for a fan favorite, who received the most votes from other prospective contestants.
DUNE ZAWADZKI: I was so excited. Literally, [my] adrenaline was up. I started feeling nauseous. I was like, oh my God, all these people, like, want me to do this. And, you know. But I was really excited.
That was Dune Zawadzki, Weinberg junior and one of the official fan favorites of last week’s competition. Along with her 5 competitors, she entered the first round with high hopes. But some ambiguity in the rules and imperfect planning led to considerable challenges.
ZAWADZKI: They [professional eaters] would take sips of water in between every one or two pieces, just to, like, help lubricate on the way down. And, my problem was I finished my water 20 pieces in and I still had 30 to go. And I asked, can I have a water refill? They went, no refills. Now I’m a little bit. [laughs] Now I’m gagged. [both laugh] No, like literally and emotionally gagged because I’m out of water. I’m way slowed down.
This was noticeable to the audience, many of whom had to adjust their strategies after seeing the impact of the one-cup-rule. Grant Putnam, a sophomore studying chemical engineering, shared his thoughts while watching the competition.
GRANT PUTNAM: They’re, definitely, they got their spirit. They’re coming in and they want to win. Some of them, half of them, are taking it a little leisurely, but it gets me ready. I’m getting fired up. I want to eat and win.
KUMAR: [That makes sense. Do you have any technique ideas in mind? Any, like, pacing strategies?]
PUTNAM: Try not to use too much of my water early and save it more for the end when I need it most.
Circling back to the round itself, which ended up coming down to the wire in an intense showdown, Dune reflected on the experience:
ZAWADSKI: I had to introspect and I had to think, is it more embarrassing to lose the Todoroki speed eating contest or is it more embarrassing to vomit at the Todoroki speed eating contest? And I decided, I said I’m gonna, I’m gonna pace myself, and it took me a while to like gather my bearings again and get back to it, but I think it’s really a metaphor about, in a way, endurance. It felt like a sprint because it’s speed eating, but it’s very much a marathon and [when] you hit a wall, you can’t give up. You have to keep going.
Unfortunately, due to another rule left unclarified that declared the victor based solely on pieces of sushi left on the plate at the end of time, rather than requiring the food to be finished, Dune’s competitive eating journey was foiled.
ZEWADSKI: And so at the end, I had 5 pieces left and she had 4 pieces left and I was kicking myself because I was like, I could have shoved 4 pieces in my mouth. [laughs] Like, I very much had the chipmunk cheek ability to put a bunch in my mouth.
That concluded the women’s competition and transitioned to the men’s, where two familiar names got the chance to put their strategies into action. Grant, Jack and another contestant ended up tying for first place in the initial round, requiring a runoff to determine the ultimate victor.
PUTNAM: Honestly, I feel like we all could have won the runoff. It’s just whoever opened their mouth first because we had the same level of full. It’s just, do you think they’re going to count the amount of food in your mouth that’s finished or not?
KUMAR: [That makes sense. So it was more of a mental game then?]
PUTNAM: Yes, it was all a mental game.
It may have been close, as Grant attested, but there was only one winner at the end of it all.
KUMAR: [So you were just crowned champion, winner, how do you feel?]
TULLY: I feel great. I feel very full, though.
And Jack’s plans for celebrating his success?
KUMAR: [Are you back for dinner?]
TULLY: No, I’m not coming back for dinner. [laughs] I think I’m good for the day.
For WNUR News, I’m Krishna Kumar.
