The passion is raw, but the hot dogs are cooked!

4th of July is my favorite holiday. Not because of the fireworks, the bbqs, and the patriotism, but because of Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest on Coney Island. The hot dog eating contest is the highlight of the Major League Eating (MLE) circuit and this year’s contest did not disappoint. Once again Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi went head to head this year both eating 59 hot dogs within the 10 minute time limit. For the first time the competition history the two leaders had to enter a 5 dog eat off. My favorite part of the whole charade is listening to the ESPN commentators covering the event. WIth an entire year to think of quips for the contest, they are bound to come up with a few hilarious comments. My favorites this year; “We are here at the epicenter of patriotism right here on Coney Island”, “Chestnut and Kobayashi both have a dog in this fight”, “This is the most exciting finish in all of sports history”, and (my personal favorite) “The passion is raw, but the hot dogs are cooked!!!”. Several months ago Jeff and I went to Coney Island while visiting friends in New York. While I only ate two hot dogs at Nathan’s, I still felt like a winner. Here is my super blurry tribute to the July 4th massacre (taken by Jeff on a camera phone).  To find out who took home the coveted Mustard Belt, watch the dramatic and disgusting conclusion on YouTube.