Five years ago, Taylor Mak had a vision – he wanted to start a club for amateur competitive eaters. Fast forward to today and the Eatcredibles are Hong Kong’s most prestigious eating group, boasting 50 members and the will to eat food faster than you. Since starting the Eatcredibles, Mak has participated in 50 eating competitions and he recently met up with the Wall Street Journal to share some pointers to help other aspiring food wasters succeed in this intense competitive world.
Plan in advance. Two months before is the ideal time span to begin training for an event.
Do your research. First, know whether you’re participating in a speed or volume challenge. Then find out exactly what goes into the dish you’ll be eating — Is it a beef hotdog? What brand of bun is it in? — to recreate it at home for practice. Certain foods, like noodles in hot soup or chicken wings, are especially difficult to eat. Lastly, know your competitors and their previous records so you can measure yourself up against a benchmark.
Plan? Do my research? Geez, next you’ll tell me I have to work out…
Work out. The best competitive eaters are skinny, says Mr. Mak, who weighs 64 kilograms and is 168 centimeters tall. “It’s easier to stretch out your stomach when you’re not pushing up against layers of fat.” It is important to keep your weight low, even though you are consuming large amounts of food.
Since when does eating require this much effort? Just give me a box of Totino’s Pizza Rolls and a sleeve of sour cream and onion Pringles and I’ll have my own eating competition. I’ll call it the Alone and Farty Championship.
Video after the jump…
