Balance of Food

We wrote about Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas when she finished second to Takeru Kobayashi in the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating. Her feat over the weekend was impressive, but several media outlets gave her more credit than she deserved. The story from the AP reported that Thomas ate 11.3 pounds of lobster in 12 minutes to set a new world record. However, some reports -- for unknown reasons -- reported she ate 113 pounds in 12 minutes. Given she weighs 98 pounds to start, it's highly doubtful that she ate 113 pounds. Not even Kobayashi could eat 113 pounds in 12 minutes. What makes it more confusing is that the reports said she ate 44 lobsters in that 12-minute period -- that could easily add up to 113 pounds -- if she ate the shells. The old mark was 9.76 pounds in 12 minutes. These stories never stop being fascinating. Lobster does seem pretty easy to eat, even a lot. But 11 pounds of anything in 12 minutes is impossible for most people. So these competitors occupy some impressive territory. Thomas, who has earned $50,000 so far this year in competitive eating, has been on a roll (pardon the food pun) lately. She downed 35 brats in 10 minutes to win a competition in Sheboygan, Wisconsin one week ago. A day earlier, Thomas ate 21.5 grilled-cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes to win a title in San Diego.