San Diego CityBeat has an article about the weekly eating contests held at the Tower Bar:

“The thing you have to remember,” says one contestant as he stacks his sandwiches on top of one another, “is it’s 90-percent mental.”
“You’ve gotta expand your diaphragm,” says his friend next to him, patting his extended belly. “I like to take the horizontal approach. You know, like Donald Duck eating corn. Oh, and my secret is to chew and wash it back with Guinness… and you can’t look at anyone else. You have to have the eye of the tiger.”

“Go!” yells the bartender, and the sandwiches begin to disappear. There are various techniques—some eat around the edges first; others use the typewriter approach—but the ones who fare best are those who smash their stack of sandwiches into one revolting ball of peanut butter, banana and bread. Within minutes, there’s a winner who signifies his victory by downing a shot of whiskey, standing up on a barstool, holding his hands above his head, hollering and bouncing around like Rocky after he ran up the stairs.
“There’s some guys I don’t stand a chance against,” says the winner later, after settling down from his elation. But the six-time champion eater known as LFA (short for El Jefe, or The Boss) says he isn’t talking about a stereotypical fat guy. Surprisingly fit himself, LFA says it’s usually the skinny guy with skills who takes home the $30 bar tab, the Eating Competition’s coveted prize.

PermalinkComments