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Darron Breeden wins the Wisconsin State Fair World Cheese Curd Eating Championship
August 12, 2018
in competitive eating, United States, Wisconsin

The Wisconsin State Fair World Cheese Curd Eating Championship

I can't remember the last time, outside of Nathan's Famous on the Fourth of July, that I saw such a large crowd gather to watch an eating contest. Fire marshals walked the aisles to clear the path of stragglers. Families were sitting on each other's...

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Joey Chestnut wins the 2018 Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest on the Fourth of July at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.Joey Chestnut wins the 2018 Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest on the Fourth of July at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.
July 8, 2018
in competitive eating, New York

The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on the Fourth of July

I used to watch the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on TV every Fourth of July. For some people, Independence Day meant fireworks, barbecues, parades. But, for me, it meant sitting in front of ESPN and watching a row of gurgitators consume as many...

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Miki Sudo wins the women's competition at the 2016 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hod dog eating contest at Coney Island.
August 4, 2016
in competitive eating, Fourth of July, holiday, New York, travel, United States

Women eat too, you know.

Every Fourth of July the best eaters in the world congregate at Coney Island and go head to head in the world's greatest hot dog eating contest. Half of those eaters are women. You might not know that from the media coverage of the contest. After all,...

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Joey Chestnut wins the 2016 Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest at Coney Island.
July 13, 2016
in competitive eating, Fourth of July, holiday, New York, travel, United States

On traditions, the Fourth of July, and a hot dog eating contest.

Joey Chestnut and Matt Stonie took their prime spots at the center of the table and, from the moment the clock started ticking down, they were both fully focused on the win. For the first few HDBs they were neck and neck but, by two...

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Adrian Morgan | Ribmania Ribs Eating Contest at Ribfest Chicago
June 23, 2016
in Chicago events, Chicago Life, competitive eating, Festival

Ribmania.

In a week I leave for a long Fourth of July weekend in New York. If you know me at all or if you've followed my blog even remotely closely, you can probably guess the primary purpose for the trip: the Nathan's Famous hot dog...

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September 23, 2015
in Chicago events, Chicago Life, competitive eating, sports

Five competitive eaters, a 40-pound goat, & a Cubs curse.

Every so often a dream team comes together. The Million Dollar Quartet. The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team. The cast of The Breakfast Club. For all we know the 1945 Chicago Cubs could have been a dream team too. And maybe they could have...

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Men's Contest at the 2015 Nathan's Famous July 4 Hot Dog Eating Contest
July 10, 2015
in competitive eating, Fourth of July, New York, North America, travel, United States

Every Dog Has His Day.

On July 4, 2007, at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, Joey Chestnut ate 66 hot dogs to Takeru Kobayashi's 63. It was a historic feat: no one had ever out-eaten 6-time champion Kobayashi in hot dogs and some speculated that no one ever would....

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Nathan's After Party at Professor Thom's
July 7, 2015
in competitive eating, New York, North America, travel, United States

A New York Minute.

It was in bar in Sevilla, Spain, many years ago now, when a fellow backpacker asked me what I liked most about traveling. I paused for a moment before saying, "When you're home and wake up the first thing you think is, 'what do I...

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RibMania Ribs Eating Contest in Chicago
June 15, 2015
in Chicago events, Chicago Life, competitive eating, Festival

How not to prepare to compete in an eating contest.

Step 1: Don't Sign Up for an Eating Contest The first step to not preparing to compete in an eating contest is to not sign up to compete in an eating contest. I suppose you can apply this logic to most anything you might (not) want...

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Brain Bash at the Beach Brain Eating Contest
July 14, 2014
in competitive eating, New York, North America, Round the World, travel, United States

Brains.

Every time Molly Schuyler does something, I can count on at least five people sending me a link to it. Which probably says something about both my reputation and hers. There was that time she ate 363 chicken wings in 30 minutes. And that time she ate...

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Hi, I’m Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the teal couch. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. I lived my life in limbo. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Europe. After 3 years on the road I’m back in Chicago, exploring the city, learning guitar, decorating my apartment in too much teal, cuddling my cats, and planning my next adventures.

            

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?


Feeling stuck? Sick of living your life in limbo? Want to finally do all those things you always say you're going to do? Sign up for the Choosing Figs newsletter now to get a FREE e-book with tips on starting your own life list, inspiration for things to do in life, and worksheets to get your life goals out of your head and into action!


Your information will be used to send you our Life List e-book and subscribe you to our bi-monthly newsletter. View our full Privacy Policy.



            


MEOW | Is Val in Chicago?