Gyoza contest returns to LA Nisei Week

July 13, 2008 at 10:03 pm by ojrifkin · More posts about:Contest Previews, Los Angeles

The Rafu Shimbon reports that a gyoza eating contest will be held on August 23 at the Nisei Week Festival in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. In 2006, the festival held an IFOCE gyoza contest. This year’s contest will probably also be an IFOCE event because the article says that national food eaters will participate.

Comments (16)

16 Comments »

  1. Rhonda Evans said

    July 14, 2008 @ 9:41 am

    If Joey attends this, he runs away with it, since I doubt Sonya or Pat Bertoletti will attend. Sonya and Pat (not counting Koby), given their phenomenal hand speed, are the only two that would hang with Joey until the end. Anyone else will be lucky to finish within 4-5 dozen of Joey.

    Take that to the bank!

  2. Hall "Hoover" Hunt said (Registered July 13, 2006)

    July 14, 2008 @ 11:30 am

    Do you think this is MLE again? I didn’t notice in the articles if it mentioned that specifically or not.

  3. KevinRoss said

    July 14, 2008 @ 11:40 am

    Hey Hall. The gyoza was my first IFOCE contest. You were the one who encouraged me to participate and started me on my competitive eating path. I hope it is MLE again so we can go for round 2!

  4. michael Castellano said

    July 14, 2008 @ 1:33 pm

    I remember this show…Sonya came close to beating Joey… He had 212…I think she did 210. Very Close. Don’t know if IFOCE/MLE is doing this one yet…lets hope so.

  5. Rhonda Evans said

    July 14, 2008 @ 2:41 pm

    I sure hope so Mike. I remember one of the stories that came out afterward, and the look of disbelief on that Japanese girl’s face in the background (she was some sort of pageant queen or something), looking at Sonya eat.

    Only Koby, Sonya, and Rich, because of their small size, and Pat Bertoletti in peppers, can elicit such wild amazement from onlookers. But that’s only my opinion (regardless of how right I know I am).

    I’m so arrogant at times … I know. 🙂

  6. Anonymous said

    July 15, 2008 @ 8:08 pm

    What is a gyoza?

  7. Cory Hayashi said

    August 1, 2008 @ 12:09 am

    I was searching for images to help promote the contest and I found this site.

    I am the event chair for the Gyoza Eating Championship and to answer all of your questions,

    Yes, this is an MLE Event. We just signed the papers and it will be on their site shortly. The list of eaters that attending will follow, and we are hoping Joey and Sonya return for another close battle.

    Gyoza is a traditional Japanese Dumpling/potsticker.

    In addition, I am scheduled to make my MLE debut for the event.

    If any of you have questions or would like to join as an event sponsor (we’re still a little short on budget, but the event will happen) please contact me at cory.hayashi@gmail.com.

  8. Gentleman Joe said

    August 1, 2008 @ 2:43 am

    You are short on budget BECAUSE you signed w/ifoce/mle, or whatever they are calling themselves this week.

  9. Rhonda Evans said

    August 1, 2008 @ 10:47 am

    I doubt Sonya will be there. Air fare is just too expensive for someone to have to pay his or her own way cross-country, unless the purse and prize placings are enough to accommodate expenses.

    Joey will probably show, and if he does will run away and hide from the field unless Sonya or Pat appear, as they are the only two competitors with the combination of hand speed and stomach capacity to make it close.

    No other eater on this earth besides those three and Koby would reach 200, assuming the gyoza is the same as last time.

  10. Anonymous said

    August 1, 2008 @ 11:45 am

    You’re assuming she won’t get her way paid. Sonya doesn’t go anywhere unless she is taken care of.

  11. Anonymous said

    August 1, 2008 @ 11:58 am

    I am pretty sure Bob and Tim could beat Sonya in gyoza.

  12. Rhonda Evans said

    August 1, 2008 @ 12:43 pm

    Think again 11:58 Anony. Neither Bob nor Tim would come within a dozen of Sonya. I’m as sure of this as I was of Koby’s recent juggernaut-like performance over Joey in Singapore. She’d knock Bob’s and Tim’s proverbial dicks in the dirt, but I doubt she’d admit it … so I will.

    Sonya’s limiting factor is swallowing. Swallowing speed doesn’t come into play in foods like oysters, sushi, clams, and gyoza. It’s basically how fast you can get the food to the mouth. And since this is not a food drinking contest, liquid immersion is not there to save their little hinies.

    As a matter of fact, because women have quicker hand speed than men, I am not so sure Bob and Tim would even handle Juliet, let alone Sonya.

    Shit!

  13. Rhonda Evans said

    August 1, 2008 @ 12:52 pm

    As far as Sonya’s transportation costs being paid, I think that may have been the case several years ago, but not anymore. MLE’s focus is always limited to the top one or two eaters, and being arguably the best FEMALE eater in the world means little or nothing to the IFOCE. They’re not gender-specific in their promotions.

    As a matter of fact, I strongly suspect that the IFOCE sometimes won’t even pick up the tab for a defending champion, which, I believe, is why Sonya did not defend her oyster title earlier this year.

  14. Romeo said

    August 1, 2008 @ 1:14 pm

    Juliet can probably eat about 300. Gyoza is the contest that will vault her into the top five. Thomas should retire before she drops out of the top 10, unless the senior league gets started up soon, then she would be okay. Sonya would probably be number one against her fellow competitors who are in the twilight of their lives.

  15. I said

    August 1, 2008 @ 1:23 pm

    I would agree with Rhonda on that. Sonya has been seeming quite “uppity” lately and I would say that is because she isnt the ifoce/mle darling anymore

  16. crawfish said (Registered May 24, 2008)

    August 1, 2008 @ 1:58 pm

    The Los Angeles Nisei Week Festival Gyoza Eating Championship

    http://www.ifoce.com/contests?action=detail&eventID=253

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