The Fourth of July means freedom, summer and — above all else — eating ridiculous amounts of grilled food. One of the mainstays of Independence Day is the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest where competitive eaters flock to Coney Island to consume gut-bursting numbers of hot dogs and buns.
You may have noticed something that ups the grossness of the entire production: the contestants will dunk the hot dog buns in water before shoving them down their gullets.
If you’re anything like me, the idea of consuming not just wet bread but soggy buns makes you want to immediately dry heave. But, there’s a point behind the madness.
By dousing the carb portion of the contest in water, it makes them easier to eat. The water is simply a lubricant to help get the buns down faster.
Makes sense, but still. Gross.
Miki Sodu ate 40 hot dogs and buns in the women’s competition, returning from her one-year absence (she was pregnant during the 2021 eat-off) with a vengeance.
The men eat at noon on ESPNNews.
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