Gladiators of the Gullet

Gladiators of the Gullet

Series: Soundbites: A Series On Food
From: Rebecca Sheir
Length: 00:04:45

When a local eating contest goes major league and professional "gurgitators" step up to the plate, can the local lay-eaters hold their own? Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Play Audio for 'Piece Audio' Pause Audio for 'Piece Audio'

Play Audio for 'Promos' Pause Audio for 'Promos'

None.

More from Rebecca Sheir

Caption: The Big Board offers a stock exchange... for beer., Credit: agencyQ

A Beer'n'Burger Stock Exchange: The Big Board (00:03:45)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A new restaurant is trying to corner the market on neighborhood pubs, with beer prices that fluctuate in real time, based on customer demand.

Caption: At RAS, you can order Caribbean food (like the Bake and Shark, left) or Ethiopian cuisine (like the vegetarian platter, right)., Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Injera Bread & Shark Meat: Tasting Ethiopia & Jamaica (00:04:46)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What happens when Africa and the Caribbean culinarily collide in the U.S. capital? Dig in and find out!

Unleavened Alaska: Passover in the Last Frontier (00:05:40)
From: Rebecca Sheir

When it comes to Passover, why is this state different from all other states?

Gone Mousin' (00:02:58)
From: Rebecca Sheir

In Alaska, sometimes it isn't "Go Fish"; it's "Go Mouse"...

Rise & Shine: Baking Bread in the Last Frontier (00:05:20)
From: Rebecca Sheir

The culinary -- and romantic -- chemistry of Alaskan sourdough.

Studying & Sniffing: Becoming a Certified Beer Judge (00:04:53)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Drink your beer -- and judge it, too.

Love & Borscht in Alaska (00:03:12)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Nina Fefelov's Samovar Cafe brings a tempting taste of Russia to rural Alaska... with a heaping helping of one-of-a-kind love.

Caption: This rough sketch for a children's book drew one D.C. native into a mystery regarding “Colored Only” signs in D.C. in the 1930s. , Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation (00:07:41)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A well-meaning illustration in a children's book sparks controversy over segregation in the nation's capital in the 1930s.

Caption: Scientists working on the Webb Telescope say it's so revolutionary, it’s like “our generation’s Apollo.”

An Extra-Chilly Successor To Hubble (00:06:22)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Come winter, your neck of the woods may be cold. But guess how frigid the James Webb Space Telescope will be when it launches in 2018? 400 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. For real.

Caption: At age 29, Martin Spitznagel is the World Champion of Old-Time Piano Playing., Credit: Martin Spitznagel

From Scott Joplin to Super Mario Bros.: Making Old-Time Piano New Again (00:03:48)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A 20-something pianist is making old-time piano new again... with a little help from Darth Vader and Super Mario Bros.

Piece Description

Cambridge, Massachusetts has been home to the annual Garlicky Greens Eating Championship since 2004. Hitherto an amateur event, this year the contest was sanctioned by Major League Eating, the national organization that supervises all professional competitive eating events.

So with a handful of professional gurgitators stepping up to the plate, can the local competitors hold their own? Rebecca Sheir swung by the contest to find out.