Americans across the country celebrated one of the United States' greatest pastimes on July Fourth, the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island.
Competitive eater Joey Chestnut won the men’s competition with 72 hot dogs in 10 minutes. This was Chestnut's 10th contest victory. Miki Sudo took home the women’s title with 41 hot dogs, making it her fourth consecutive win.
While crowds cheered the eaters on in person and on TV, do fervent fans take the time to question the ethics of contests like this? Should we applaud these food gladiators as they shove processed meat tubes into their mouths? Art Caplan, the head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, says no.
“The issue is, do we really need a gluttony contest?” said Caplan on Boston Public Radio Wednesday. “Is this a useful thing to show to our children?”
While Caplan said he could see the fun aspect of food eating competitions, he worries about the health of the competitors and the positive portrayal of gluttony these competitions provide.
“Last time I looked, doctors would say that the human body was not designed to digest 71 hot dogs and buns at the same time,” Caplan said. “It can’t be good for you. There are dozens of deaths because people choke or aspirate, it is not entirely risk-free.”
Medical ethicist Art Caplan is the head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center and the co-host of the Everyday Ethics podcast. To hear more of his interview with BPR, click on the audio player above.
