Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest was the first place I saw Japanese people participating in an American thing where their Japanese-ness was second to their talent (in this case, the ability to eat an uncomfortable number of hot dogs). It helped me understand how food can be a bridge across cultures; an equalizer in spite of otherness.
The history of Japanese people participating in the competition goes back decades:
Hiroaki Tominaga was the first Japanese person to compete in 1986, nine years after the first contest. The Fuji Television Network in Japan wrote to Nathan’s saying they found someone who could unseat Oscar Rodriguez, the 1985 title holder. Tominaga won, retired, and followed his true calling as a musician. He’d go on to write and perform the first opening theme for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: The Animation.
By 1996 Nathan’s was partnering with Japanese TV stations to identify challengers. Twenty-two year old Hirofumi Nakajima beat reigning champ and Queens native Ed Krachie, and held the title for the next two years. Nakajima said he was motivated to win by hearing the crowd cheer for his opponent.
By the aughts, Japanese competitors were participating in full swing: mattress salesman Kazutoyo Arai took the title from Steve Keiner in 2000, and Takeru Kobayashi became the “godfather of competitive eating,” holding the title from 2001-2006.
Nathan’s launched the women’s competition in 2011. Sonya Thomas held the title from 2011-2014, then half-Japanese American Miki Sudo took over. She just earned her 7th title this year at the first-ever socially distanced hot dog eating competition.
I, too, ate a lot of hot dogs growing up. Pigs in blanket are my favorite preparation, which I grew to love to during the bar/bat mitzvah circuit of ‘06-‘07.
Datchan sometimes made octodogs, not too different from the ones pictured below, while my dad would saute cut hot dogs in ketchup.
Yakisoba with hot dogs
I will dedicate a post to yakisoba another day. Today I had to finish the hot dogs I bought for Memorial Day before they expire.
XO YOKO