Have you ever watched an eating contest at a State Fair? I sure haven’t seen one before. So when visiting the Maryland State Fair I saw that there was to be a “Sausage Eating Contest.” There was no way I was going to miss it.
Sponsored by Roma Gourmet Sausage Company, a Baltimore based company for over 50 years, the challenge was to eat the most sausages in five minutes. Having visions of a messy and gross event, I just had to be there.
The sausages were brought in hot off the grill by two Roman guards.
The contestants sat and stood, ready to eat these delicious sausages. It was free to enter a contest and fourteen people were up to the challenge.
The one to watch was the man standing on the left. The winner from the previous week’s competition at St. Gabriel’s Festival, Michael Longo began psyching himself up.
So ready to eat he was, he actually had a false start and managed to eat a whole sausage before the judge could stop him.
And then the contest was on ! I thought it would be gross, people shoving food all over their face and into their mouth. The red buckets were there in case the sausages decided to go the wrong way. But actually it was quite civilized. Just methodical and quick eating of some mild Italian sausages. But the previous week’s winner – Michael and his champion status became threatened. A taller man further down the line started to pull ahead.
The man next to him had enough after two of them.
Before you knew it, eight sausages were gone in about four minutes. The winner received 10 pounds of Roma Sausage, $100.00 and two tickets in the Roma box at a Baltimore Orioles baseball game. A pretty good haul for some fast eating.
I don’t know about you, but there is no way I could have done this. Congrats to the winner!
Categories: 2013 Project 365
Emily Carter ~ Nature as Art 
I couldn’t have done it either but I have to say, the sausages do look tasty! 🙂
I agree, they did indeed looked really good. I almost grabbed one off the plate when they went by. 🙂
I could not have done sausages! Maybe a pumpkin pie eating contest or a berry eating contest would be more my speed:)
Oh Yum..yes ! Cookies ! I’d win that one. Thanks Renee.
Cookies is a GREAT One!!!
I don’t know how they do it….and i guess I really don’t want to know! Did anyone require the Heimlich Manuever?
Actually, they ate them rather methodically, no rush eating. That really did surprise me.
I guess that people can turn anything into a competitive event, but for the life of me, I’ve never understood the point behind eating contests. The interesting thing about them is that it’s usually a skinny person that wins.
You’ve got to trust Americans to make anything into a competition. Yes, the standing skinny one is the one that wins. Guess that means I’ve got no chance. 🙂
Me either!
Everyone has a hidden talent. Everyone likes to think they are better than someone else in one way or another. This is where I think these wacky contests get created.
Great funny post!!
Thank you so much ! What is really funny is that one guy follows the contest from one festival to another. This is one talent I’d prefer not to master.
We usually watch the hot dog-eating contest on tv every July 4th, but have only seen a banana split eating contest in person. That was enough for me.
Now that Banana eating contest I can see being a bit messy. Was it? Glad to know I’m not the only crazy person that just had to watch one of these. 🙂
Meat and gladiators… YES!
Oh I love how you think Jasmine ! What’s not to love?
That’s what I’m saying…
What’s amazing is that it is often a skinny little guy that wins these events like NY’s Coney Island hot dog championship.
Why is that Phil? That is indeed an interesting observation. Darned fast-twitch muscle people. They win every time. 🙂
Nop. Can’t say I mind those Gallian outfits 😉
Indeed, the gladiators were nice to look at. 🙂