Mike “Everything In Moderation” Bloomberg To Preside Over Hot Dog Contest Weigh-In

What was that thing Mayor Mike Bloomberg said about eating in “moderation?” If we’re not mistaken, it went a little something like this: the mayor’s proposed ban on big-boy cups for sugary drinks like soda is just “encouragement to do things in moderation.”

That said, food-bully Bloomberg this morning will preside over the ceremonial weigh-in for this year’s annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Since we’re on the subject of hypocrites “moderation,” last year’s winner, Joey Chestnut, ate 62 hot dogs in 12 minutes. The winner of the women’s contest, Sonya Thomas, wolfed down 40 dogs, also in less than 12 minutes. For anyone keeping score, that’s an average of 6.2 and 4.0 “HDBs” (hot dogs and buns) per minute, respectively.

To give that a little perspective, we’re pretty sure we haven’t eaten more than 30 hot dogs…this year.

But this isn’t the first time Bloomberg’s selective food-bullying has reared its nanny-esque head.

Last month, Bloomberg celebrated “National Donut Day” by honoring the 75th anniversary of a day that celebrates a food that has more fat and calories than the sugary beverages he wants to over-regulate (he claims the proposed ban is to “force people to understand” the dangers of sugar). The mayor signed off on his proclamation as “Donut Day” was celebrated in Madison Square Park, where Brooklyn-based Entenmann’s handed out free donuts from the “largest box of Entenmann’s donuts ever created.”

Again, this is the same Mike Bloomberg who in May announced that he’s proposing a ban on sugary beverages that are served in containers larger than 16 ounces. Meanwhile, he’s encouraging “competitive eaters” to scarf down more hot dogs in 12 minutes than most people eat in a year.

We’ve crunched the numbers, and a 20-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew (which is arguably the most grotesque, diabetes-inducing soft drink on the market) has 290 calories. By comparison, one Nathan’s hot dog has 309 calories, and earned a “D” health rating from the website Calorie Count.

If Chestnut were to again put down 62 dogs in this year’s contest, this
means he will have consumed 19,158 calories…in less than 12 minutes. Similarly, you would need to drink 66 Mountain Dews in less than 12 minutes to achieve the same amount of calories.

Everything in moderation, ay, Mike?