Life, liberty, and the pursuit of hot dogs
How creativity helped make a champion
[I’m sending this week’s story a day early - as I don’t want you to miss your chance to watch this on the 4th of July!]
Happy 4th of July!
When I think about the 4th of July, I think about fireworks, parades, and…hot dogs.
While millions of Americans will eat hot dogs for lunch on the 4th of July, in Coney Island, New York a handful of people will eat hot dogs on July 4th for sport.
That’s right.
It’s the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Championship!
Promoters used to claim that the annual hot dog eating contest began in 1916, when “four immigrants competed to see who was the most patriotic.”
But that story is likely just good PR.1
“In Coney Island pitchman style, we made it up,” press agent Mortimer Matz told the New York Times in 2010.
Though the 1916 origin story is cited frequently, the first recorded contest was actually in 1972 — and the competition has grown significantly over the last two decades.
In a typical year, more than 30,000 fans make the pilgrimage to Coney Island to watch the event in person.
Even ESPN broadcasts the contest now — and millions of viewers watch men and women stuff their faces to see who can eat the most hot dogs in 10 minutes.
The event may be huge now, but it didn’t start out that way.
It was a light-hearted contest for years, and a bit of fun on the American holiday.
But things really changed in 2001 when a Japanese competitor used his creativity to eat more hot dogs than anyone ever imagined.
Who was he — and how did he do it?
I was curious…
Meet Takeru Kobayashi
In 2001, 23-year old Takeru Kobayashi travelled from Japan to enter the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Championship on the 4th of July.
He had never eaten a hot dog before arriving in New York for the competition.
And at 5’7 and only 131 pounds, Kobayashi didn’t look like the other competitors at the table.
But he had been honing his strategy for months.
He used his creativity to reframe the challenge — and instead of asking:
‘How can I fit more hot dogs in my stomach?’
He asked:
‘How can I make ONE hot dog easier to eat?
His ‘Solomon Method’ involved dunking the buns in hot water, and breaking the hot dogs in half.
He would then gyrate his entire body as he funnelled the dogs down his throat in a move that was later dubbed ‘The Kobayashi Shake.’
The record to beat that year was 25 hot dogs.
Kobayashi shattered that record —eating 50 hot dogs in just 12 minutes.
He continued to dominate the competition for the next five years.
When asked how he had accomplished such a feat, he replied:
‘I may be small in size, but I’m more creative than the others.’
Kobayashi’s creative technique was imitated by many competitors, and his ‘Solomon Method’ is still used in hot dog eating competitions (as well as other competitive eating contests).
Joey Chestnut defeated Kobayashi in 2007, and has won the Nathan’s competition 16 times.
In the 2021 contest, he managed to eat 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
(Warning: Watching this contest may put you off hot dogs for a long time).
One more thing…
The rivalry between Kobayashi and Chestnut played out again in 2024, when Netflix aired a live competition called Unfinished Beef.
The 10-minute contest saw Chestnut defeat Kobayashi, 83-66.
Don’t forget the Cracker Jack for your patriotic charcuterie board!
How Can I Help?
I’ll keep saying it: Communication matters.
And if you want to improve your communication (and get all the good things that come with that), I’m your gal.
So many companies could reap significant benefits — from performance and culture to retention and engagement — by improving their communication.
So, if you know someone who could benefit from some help (as even the most seasoned leaders do), please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
You can also see my Top 10 list of what I can (and can’t) do for you here.
And if you see any communication examples (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that you think are worth analyzing or sharing, please send them my way!
Until next time, Stay Curious!
-Beth
I will be attending tomorrow and will report back highlights!! Thank you for this history 🤍🌭