Competitive Eating

"Humble Bob" Shoudt, a 42-year-old husband and father of three from Pennsylvania and so-called "professional eater" (photo at left) claimed the Harrah's Louisiana Downs Grits Eating Championship first place last Saturday, just 24 hours after he won the 2009 World Burrito eating championship in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Perhaps as disturbing, there is actually an umbrella organization called IFOCE, the International Federation of Competitive Eating, for this "sport." (That's the official IFOCE crest above. Really.) IFOCE.com also posts world rankings. Bob Shoudt is #5.

According to his profile on the IFOCE website, Bob Shoudt and his entire family are vegetarians. But he may be a very recent convert, since he apparently ate 34 beef brisket bbq sandwiches at the Cherokee Casino in July 2008, and indeed the 33 quarter pound burritos that he ate last Saturday were filled with beef, beans and green chile according to the Associated Press.