New York, July 04: Eating champions from all over the world are gearing up for the annual 4th July hot dog eating contest in the United States. Dateline: New York, USA. Waistline - huge. Eric 'Badlands' Booker weighs in at 420 pounds - and he's aiming to munch his way to victory in New York City's annual hot dog eating contest. He's lost out for the past two years in a row - and he's not happy. Eric 'Badlands' Booker said: "I've got to get into the mental state. I'm going to eat hot dogs, plates, tables, contestants next to me. You know what I'm saying." But maybe it's not what you weigh - it's the way that you do it. Aiming for the hat-trick is Japan's Takeru Kobayashi - in the world of championship chomping a mere stick of a man at 145 pounds Kobayashi is out to beat his own record of 50 and a half hot dogs in just 12 minutes. And he's hoping his specially-developed style will bring him victory on a plate.


Takeru Kobayashi says, "I break the hot dogs in half and eat that first," he says. "Then break the bread in half, dip it in the water, and I eat that after."


Others have their own methods, like training the stomach to expand through hefty eating and drinking. Whatever the impact on the body these championship chomping contenders reckon a hot dog eating win is worth its weight in gold.

Bureau Report