(En)grossing Thoughts

Probably some of the most disgusting pictures I've come across are the "after" shots. The ones we take of finished plates. It's an attempt to prove that the meal was really eaten and not merely thrown over the shoulder. It's kind of feeble. Before I resorted to video it made sense. Now it's kind of gross.

What does a tray full of sauce and grease really prove anyway? Obviously a tray full of wing bones and empty ice cream containers don't prove anything. They're good to tack onto the end of a video, but that's it.

And who the Hell smiles after eating 7+ lbs of chicken? That's gotta be the world's second fakest smile.

Because this is the world's first fakest smile, taken after eating 12 lbs of pizza. In the future I'm going to opt for a more realistic post-game pose. Yes, an eating challenge is about winning. I don't need to look like I climbed a mountain, all triumphant and such.

When it's all over, it really feels like a mountain climbed you. And that's nothing to smile about.

Tiny Packages

Last week, I attended an educational conference at Palm Springs, CA. We were there to design detailed curriculum for the upcoming school year. A "relaxing" week before going on summer vacation.

The dining experience at the hotel captured my imagination. Condiments only came in ridiculously tiny jars. 1 ounce jars. They were cute, so I snagged a couple. Ketchup is my favorite dipping sauce and honey is too sweet to resist.

These miniscule containers add to a fine dining experience. Everything all nice and neat. It was hardly McDonalds in there, with sauce pumps and paper cups. Still, there was something amiss about serving condiments in 1 oz jars. It felt like portion control. Who wants that?

Really, I had a hard time not laughing aloud every time they served us food. At least the coffee came in decently sized cups.

Candied Peppers

I'm a sucker for novelty food products. Salt & Straw, with two locations in Portland, features special flavors of ice cream every month.

Last month, when I was traversing Oregon, one of those seasonal flavors was "Sweet Heat Apricot." The sweet heat comes from candied scotch bonnet peppers. Scotch bonnets pack a punch, but after being all sugared up you can hardly tell. The apricot was balanced.

I visited the shop with Aaron Wakamatsu and we went to town. He got a sensible portion, and the quart for $8 called my name. Video upcoming.

Casket Full of Confection

Would you eat a coffin filled with dougnuts? I know I would. At Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, OR, you can get such a coffin for $100.

They'll even let you keep the coffin. It sounds like a great way to spend Halloween. Or, any other day of the year for that matter.

And while you're here, check out my video from the last time I visited their shop.

Farrells Ice Cream Heating Up Summer

The 3rd installment of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor's annual Ice Cream Eating Challenge returns this July. As usual, it is a charity event benefiting Children's Hospital of Orange County. The contest itself is going to be a little different this year. For one thing, the championship is going to be contested on the street outside the new downtown Brea location. The other exciting element is the development of a "professional eater" category.

Eaters will qualify for the professional category by consuming a "Pig Trough" during the qualifier period (pictured above, basically a large banana split). At the final, contestants will be required to eat a 6 lb Zoo Sundae. The pro division will also offer a cash prize for the first time in the contest's history.

Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen won the 2011 Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Challenge last Summer. He's moving into the new professional division as its defending champion. Matt's skill with sweet, dairy, and cold is well-known, but no doubt other contenders will step up to battle him in 2012.



The qualifying period for all categories of the contest begins June 18 and runs through July 8. Finals will be held on July 15, 2012 in Brea.

More details will be released shortly. Do you have what it takes to become the 2012 Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Champion?

Month of Mayhem

In seeking votes for the new July 4th hot dog contest, I offered a huge dare to my supporters last night.

It's right there on the Facebook page for Wreckless Eating: if the voters can put me over the top, I will give the public a new eating challeng video everyday until the contest on July 4.

That's a ton of videos, you're thinking. I already have over a dozen in possession ready to go. My YouTube presence is on heavy delay, usually limiting myself to updates once or twice a week. This time an exception will be made. The voters/viewers now have a big incentive to vote me into the contest.

Can I release 33 challenge videos in the next 33 days? There's one way to find out. Vote for me.