Growing Up Eating

Why did you want to become a competitive eater?

It is a way to get out of doing certain things around the house. It also helps that the prizes were monetary as well. The real reason has always been competitiveness and a need to win.

When did you start developing your competitive eating skills?

I've got to tell you, you know, my father always loved to tell stories about, how, he would put something in front of me and not only would I finish it, but I'd be starting on my brother's food as well, so, you know, I've always known from very early on that I could really eat a lot of food and eat very fast, so that was something I was always aware of, from, certainly from the stories that I heard, and, you know, the other, the other little tidbit that I'll tell you about my history, I'll try to be quick about this, I also grew up in a children's home from age 6 to 18, and, you know, at times there was a lot of competition around food, and if you didn't get to the table, there'd be times where the choices would limited, so, I didn't like having my choices to be limited, so I think, you know, that certainly, growing up in that environment, made me a good, Competitive Eater.

Did you have any support in your quest to become a competitive eater?

Oh yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, my friends just get a big kick out of this, you know. It's like, I've been a conversation piece, you know, for people. I tell guys, you know, listen... my single friends, if you're on a date, and you know, if you can't come up with something and she doesn't seem to be feeling your vibes and stuff, you can just tell them about me, you know. If nothing else, you get a couple of laughs.