Eating Through Nashville

December 2014 will witness personal history for me - it is the first time I'll be visiting the state of Tennessee. Really, it's my first journey to any of the Southern states. It's an opportunity that doesn't come around often. It all came together when All Pro Eating invited me to participate in the second annual hot chicken eating championship that coincides with the Music City Bowl.

In case you're wondering, the Music City Bowl (December 29) is a football game. It isn't a music festival, or a bowling league. So, now I feel really culturally challenged.. that's why Google was invented I suppose. I owe a few of my coworkers an apology and a really long explanation. Hopefully a few pictures of what I'm eating will distract them from their confusion. It's all about the food, isn't it?

Apparently hot chicken is a thing in Nashville. I enjoy spicy foods, and I love chicken, so this eating championship should be good fare for me. It's an 8 minute event so in all likelihood it will be over before I have a chance to really feel like a stuck pig. The previous champion is Molly Schuyler, All Pro Eating's #1 ranked eater, and she will be there to defend the title. We're also expecting Dave Brunelli, Stephanie Torres, and Michael Deitz to compete.

With all the impressive competition, I have something to hold up for myself. All Pro Eating lists me as their eating challenge expert, the man who happily goes anywhere and everywhere to eat crazy things, spicy things, and anything a restaurant will offer as a dare. I should fit right in with hot chicken. The league actually provides me with some impressive billing on the event sheet:

That's a mouthful. "Expert Food Challenger," "spicy food specialist," "could put down some impressive amounts." It sounds like I have my work cut out for me.

They also mention a lot of the same on the league's website:

Well... at least if I have a bad day I can always go home and eat a potted cactus.