In Coney Island, a New Hot-Dog Champion Is Crowned

New York Times Blog:

UPDATED, Wednesday, 1 p.m. The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot-Dog Eating Contest was won by Joey Chestnut, who dethroned Takeru Kobayashi, the six-time defending champion of the event, in a competitive chow-down spectacle that was not decided until the final seconds in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Mr. Chestnut ate 66 hot dogs in the 12-minute contest, establishing a world record. For the first time, he defeated his top rival, Mr. Kobayashi, who showed no apparent strains from his well-documented recent dental troubles. Mr. Kobayashi finished second by downing 63 hot dogs, though there was some debate at the end whether the frankfurters that were partly in and partly out of his mouth would count or not." ...

“I think it represents actually, well, America — what New York is. It’s something you expect from a city like this...arguably the apotheosis of Americana. ...

The event — it started in 1916, according to legend — brings 30,000 fans to Coney Island in Brooklyn every Independence Day ... The contest combines tradition, competition, showmanship and excess; in essence, so much of what makes this city great. ...

[Mayor Michael] Bloomberg, who spoke at the weigh-in, appeared to be enjoying himself, taking a big chomp out of a Nathan’s frankfurter before addressing the crowd.

“Independence Day is a wonderful time to celebrate our freedoms,” the mayor said, looking rather summery in boat shoes and lightweight slacks. “Now I don’t know what the founding fathers ever thought about this, but the right to eat as many hot dogs as possible — although not expressly named in the Bill of Rights — was no doubt on the minds of the framers.”