Meat + Poultry - January 2016 - 108

M E AT- M I N D E D

The art of mass consumption
Matt "Megatoad" Stonie is doing his part to keep the meat
and poultry industry thriving. Consider the competitive
eater's consumption of 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes to
claim the 2015 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog eating title; his
chowing down of 241 chicken wings in 10 minutes to win
the Hooters Worldwide Wing Eating Championship; his
scarfing of 182 bacon slices in five minutes to set a world
record; and most recently, his pigging out on 71 pork ribs
in five minutes to set another world record.
To put things in perspective, the average person
consumes 70 hot dogs a year, according to the National
Hot Dog and Sausage Council.
To call Stonie a meat lover is
akin to calling Norm from "Cheers"
a beer lover. And when the grub
is good, it goes down easy, like a
fine Pilsner, says Stonie, the No.
1-ranked competitive eater in Major
League Eating.
"There's really no secret,"
Stonie explains of eating as fast
as Usain Bolt runs. "It's about
choosing contests with good food."
But make no mistake. As
much as Stonie loves meat and
poultry - "Bacon goes down
delicious," he says - competitive
"I was always
eating is work. Stonie considers
the kid who
his trade a legitimate sport and
would eat the
trains for eating competitions by
working out in a gym to build up
first piece of
pizza the fastest his endurance.
"When I go up there, and I'm
at a birthday
eating bacon and hot dogs, I'm
party so I could working hard and my adrenaline is
pumping," Stonie says. "I'm tired
get a second
when I'm done, and I'm sweating.
piece before
It's a workout. It's a huge benefit to
anybody else." be in good shape because then you
don't get tired so fast."
- MATT STONIE
Stonie is not a big guy -
standing 5-ft.-8 and weighing 130
lbs. - so one has to wonder where all the food goes. But
the California-born Stonie, who takes his nickname from
a Super Mario videogame, says he has always been known
as a fast and big eater.
"I was always the kid who would eat the first piece of
pizza the fastest at a birthday party so I could get a second

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piece before anybody else," he says.
Stonie didn't grow up wanting to be a competitive
eater, like some kids dream to play quarterback for the
Dallas Cowboys. But when he entered his first contest
and garnered his first win in 2010 at a lobster roll eating
contest in Hampton Beach, NH, and won $1,000, Stonie
was hooked.
"I've always been a competitive person, and I took it to
heart," he says.
The more competitions he enters, the more he learns
the nuances of mass consumption.
"One of the most crucial parts to prepare for an event
is to make sure your stomach is as empty as possible. I go
into a contest really hungry," he says.
While bacon and ribs are easy to eat because he likes
them, Stonie says there are some foods that don't go down
so comfortably. "One thing I discovered is that I'm not
good at eating spicy food," he says.
Stonie was sponsored by Smithfield Foods when he
set the world records for bacon and rib eating. He says a
good sponsor is crucial to his performance. For instance,
Smithfield officials asked Stonie how he wanted his bacon
and ribs prepared before he went on his eating sprees. For
the latter, Stonie requested lightly sauced and fall-off-thebone ribs.
"I can definitely appreciate good food when I'm up on
stage. If it's bad food, I know it's bad food, and that will
show in the numbers," he says.
When he's not competing, Stonie keeps his distance from
the all-you-can-eat buffets, which explains his lean frame.
"It comes down to diet and exercise," he explains. "People
think I have a metabolism like Superman, but [I don't]."
Stonie is aware of the World Health Organization's
report that meat can cause cancer, but he believes it
was blown out of proportion. Stonie is also aware that
some health experts believe that eating 62 hot dogs in
10 minutes could be a health hazard. But most every
sport has its risks, he contends. "In football, you can get
concussions," he adds.
Stonie has made competitive eating his full-time job.
He participates in 12 to 15 events annually. He won $10,000
for winning the Nathan's contest and is earning a good
buck on the food-eating circuit.
"I get to travel the country and the world, and I get paid
to eat food. You can't complain," Stonie says.
Surely, all those meat and poultry processors out there
aren't complaining either.
L AW R E N C E AY LWA R D | l a y l w a rd @ s o s l a n d.c o m
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat + Poultry - January 2016

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