Wednesday, September 26, 2007

GRITS @ Louisiana Downs

IFOCE Official results:
1. Patrick Bertoletti - 21 pounds of grits in 10 minutes
2. Tim Janus placed - 20 pounds
3. Joey Chestnut - 19 pounds
4. Sonya Thomas - 18.5 pounds
5. Hall Hunt - 15 pounds
I am extremely amazed at how well everyone did. Compliments to the chef, the grits were perfect. The only thing they lacked was enough butter to really make them hit the spot. But it's all good. Patrick and Tim picked up some butter for me at the grocery store before I got in town, so I had my pound of butter which I added during the contest to make them just right. I have to give it to you straight though, this was the closest I have ever been to capacity in a contest.
Patrick, Tim, Joey, and Sonya, I am clapping right now as I write (I am also scratching my head wondering how that is possible). Seriously though, you all are truely amazing. I have been working my butt off for 2 years now trying to catch you all, but I have still yet to get there. I feel like a kid learning how to swim. No matter how hard I flail in the water and struggle to get to you, every stroke I go forward you keeping moving the same distance away from me. But I will continue to press forward no matter how hard it is. Or like one of the great bodybuilders Mike Katz said on Pumping Iron, "There are two kinds of dogs. If you keep kicking a dog it will either roll over and die or turn around and bite you. I am the kind of a guy, who is the kind of a dog who will bite you." I am not sure if it was very clear what he was saying, but bottom line is I thrive on competition and challenges. I don't give up. You guys are the best. I love the competition.










Grits have long been a desirable discipline for Major League Eaters. Especially by your's truely, Hall "Hoover" Hunt. After being born in Columbia, SC and spending the rest of his life down in Gainesville and Jacksonville, FL he has grown up and grown more and more in love with grits. Grits with its mild flavor and quick-to-swallow consistency, we're expecting some big numbers from the pro's. For the first time, this Southern treat will be placed before the nation's finest athletes in Bossier City, LA for the Harrah's Louisiana Downs World Grits Eating Championship. Registration for this event is now closed.
ABOUT HARRAH's LOUISIANA DOWNS: Harrah's Louisiana Downs offers all the exciting gaming action you could want, and much, much more!Experience the thrill of live, thoroughbred horse racing or visit our casino, all on one level, open seven days a week. The 150,000-square-foot new casino and entertainment complex features 22-foot-high ceilings, a High Limit area and dozens of plasma screen televisions. Watch simulcast racing from across the country or catch your favorite sport while you play the slots.Harrah's Louisiana Downs offers more than 1,300 of the newest, hottest slots. From penny games to $100 high limit action, we've got your game!

Grits are a common breakfast plate item in the southern US states where they are usually eaten with salt or cheese and never sugar unless you want a firm talking-to from the locals or an accusation that you don’t appreciate or understand the wonders of grits. Grits are also common, however, in East Africa where it is called Ugali and in southern Manchuria where it is called Gezi. The word ‘grits’ is a derivative of the Old English word ‘grytta’ which means a coarse meal of any kind. No matter the name, grits are a wonderful and delicious way to start or end the day.
Grits are basically coarsely ground corn that makes a sort of maize porridge. They are prepared simply by boiling the grits into a porridge or until enough water evaporates to leave them semi-solid, depending on your preference. (KATE, MY PREFERENCE IS VERY LIQUIDY AND SOUPY WITH A PINCH OF SALT/PEPPER AND LOADED WITH BUTTER) They are traditionally served at breakfast, but I find that they are a perfect side for an evening steak.

"X" Factor



I must give a quick shout out to my boy Tim! The last three contests Tim has been in he has won first place and taken home the title. I am very impressed and excited for him. He has been steadily rising in the ranks. His stomach just keeps growing and growing and growing. So in short...well done Mr. X!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Happy Anniversary to www.beautifulbrian.com & www.sonyatheblackwidow.com

Happy anniversary to bother http://www.beautifulbrian.com/ and http://www.sonyatheblackwidowthomas.com/ . I have always checked out both of these sites on a regular basis for the last 2 1/2 years while competing on the circuit. Both Brian and Sonya are great people and I love them both. Their websites always bring good competitive eating to the table and I recommend them highly.



Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Krystal Square Off IV Jacksonville VIDEO

Here is the video I promised. Let me know if it takes to long to load. I may have to save it in a lower resolution so it will load quicker. I think the sound drops out sometime during the second segment. I have no idea why. I have spent hours trying to figure it out with no success. Sorry. My technologically inclined friend supprised me with the video and I am just screwing it up when converting it to a file that Youtube will take.
Anyhow, here it is.





Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Kolaches & Jalapeños

Kolache Factory @ Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX
Kolaches in Houston was great. I enjoyed Minute Maid Park and I definitely thought the kolaches were very tasty. They were better than I imagined. I appreciate how well the contest was run too. There were tons of people helping and everything from my perception went very smoothly.
After the contest most of us went over to "The Bus". I think that is what it is called. It's always nice to just hang out and unwind after the show is over. I enjoyed also getting to meet some local competitive eating fans. Apparently they had gone to tamales before and met Pat, Bob, Joey and I don't know who else at the contest, but decided to come watch this contest too. I am very glad they came and I got to meet them. I had heard a lot about them, but they were even cooler than I imagined. In fact I was a bit upset that we did not get the chance to hang out more before things started winding down. Maybe next year for tamales, kolaches, or something in the Houston area we can meet up again. Anyhow, I am glad they came out to support us at the Kolache Factory contest.
Thank you everyone for making it a fun and successful contest.











La Costeña Jalapeños in Chicago, IL
La Costeña Jalapeños were delicious. I could definitely feel the heat. It really wan't too bad because I had a jug of whole milk to sip on(thanks Pat for picking that up for me at the store). I was hoping for a 10 minute contest so I could try and break the 200 peper mark at least. My start was very slow...as usual, but around the 2 minute mark I got smart and switched to milk instead of water and got my swallowing speed moving. After was all said and done, Patrick had created separation from the pack the size of the grand canyon in only a few minutes. Who knows if he could have done hundreds more given the time? Could that be possible? I know if I still had room he did too. I noticed when they stopped us I had just used that oncoming speed to catch up with one of my favorite eaters Mr. Rich LeFevre at 120 peppers. I then immediately realized that like the Locost that he is he had not only eaten the pepper, but about half the stem. What an animal! This was my first time ever touching a full jalapeno and I didn't even know that this part of the pepper was edible. Sonya also kicked some jalapeno butt. I was honored to eat next to her. I am always shocked how fast she is out of the gate. I really enjoy seeing her get her eat on. This weekend I was so lucky as to see her twice! That makes for a good weekend.



I was very glad to see a full field of eaters that I do not get to see very often. Erik "The Red" Denmark was there fresh off a pair of pepper eating records. Steakbellie and Wing Kong made it at the last minute rocking out to the soundtrack from Repo Man due to the fact that the location was crazy hard to find and when you did get there the parking was insane. Luckily my ride had Patrick driving, so we could find the place easy and a huge Mexican flag hanging out the window so when we got there we would be welcomed with open arms. Below is a pic with the list of everyone there. I got a lot of time before and after to chat with everyone. It was really cool to be able to really talk with everyone and hear their experience with the eating circut. I wish I could write all about every conversation I had, but I could go on forever. Bottom line is I really enjoyed getting to catch up with everyone and I had a lot of fun!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Sept. 14-16 Weekend Plans

This weekend I have some fun travels ahead! First I am going to the Houston Astros game to compete in the kolache contest. I am excited for a few reasons: I have never been to Houston before, I have never been to a Major League Baseball game before, and last but not least I have never eaten a kolache before. These are supposed to be stuffed with sausage and cheese which sounds delicious too.
After this contest is over I am going to see what's going on in Houston and then the next day head off to CHI-town. I am really hoping to compete in the jalapeno contest and eat hundreds of jalapenos. I love to eat them for snacks because they are low in calories and are spicy, so they help to speed up the metabolism. It should be a good time. I definitely enjoy pushing my body to the limit, so I am looking forward to feeling the heat!




Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Krystal IV in JAX


(17 Krystals are shown here as my total eaten. It looks like I may have just finished 18 and have 19 and 20 in my hands. This is my idea of doublefisting it with Krystals.)

(Judging by the total of 42 being shown at this point I am realizing that I don't have much time left, but I am still very hungry. It looks like I am yelling, but I don't really remember why.)

(Here I am showing my UF spirit doing the Gator chomp. Go Gators! Sorry SuperPaul, I know you hate that.)

(Yum. There is the uncounted #50 Krystal being eaten. Soon to be followed by 51,52, etc, some icecream, chicken wings, ...)





Here is a link to some pretty awesome pictures! http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=324811

Great job to everyone who competed in the contest. It was a beautiful, but steamy, day in Jacksonville. Juliet and Tim did very well for their first ever Krystal contest! Also "Rubber Gut" too! There were a couple others I talked to as well who hit some personal bests. Good job to them. Of course Mr. Rich Shea did a great job flowing some lyrics on the mic. I didn't see any pics of Hangman yet, but he was dressed up nice and chowed down some serious Krystals.
I am looking forward to getting some more pics and also videos and posting them in the near future. I saw my dad in the crowd and one of my friends with a video camera, so I will have to get with them I see if I can get the video on the computer.
Thanks to Krystal for feeding me, I was very hungry and needed some sustenance. I also want to thank everyone I know that came out to cheer me on too. Even though most of the people that came last year were out of town for the weekend I still had about 25 people from my church, a few co-workers, mom, dad, sister, brother, and last but not least my one and only brand-spanking new nephew. Only 12 days old and is already a Krystal lover and has now witnessed his first ever eating contest! (I have pics of him too which will most definitely be posted!)