Friday 27 / December / 2024
In a world so full of competitions, those that amused me most during my childhood were the eating challenges that were held during the annual community festival. Totally awestruck I would watch men and women wolf down food in bulk in efforts to claim the champion title. From watermelon and rasgullas (cottage cheese balls in syrup) to eggs, corn on the cob, bread, cup cakes, ice-cream and more, they would gobble as fast as they could. Some were a bit daring and dangerous too, like munching raw green chillies. It was fun at times and eerie too watching this weird act of gluttony. It was only later I learned that this small time community fun was popular in other parts of the world too, and that something called an eating competition was a competitive sport.
A little research and I discovered that way back in 1916 a hot dog eating contest was first held in the United States in which four men competed to prove their patriotism at Nathan’s Famous hotdog stand on Coney Island in New York. Since then the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest has become an annual event held on Independence Day, drawing competitors from around the world.
Today competitive eating is a part of many cultural events, adding an element of fun in a sport that requires no physical prowess. Though critics claim that it is encouraging overeating, most people feel that food is all about celebration and there’s nothing wrong in eating to one’s heart’s content.
Though certainly not the same kind of throw-down competition as you might find at small town fairs or on Coney Island, in the spirit of celebratory eating, Jungle Restaurant in Muscat has come up with it’s own competition: “The Mighty Mix Grill Challenge.”
Contestants have 20 minutes to finish a grill platter of either chicken, fish, lamb, beef, or vegetarian bean grill along with three bowls of sides, like hummus or tabbouleh, along with two fresh breads like naans, khubz, or rotis. If the competitor successfully completes the meal in under 20 minutes, the meal (normally priced at OMR12) is free and the champion will also receive a certificate, a place on the Jungle Wall of Fame, a OMR50 voucher to dine in Jungle Restaurant along with a T-shirt and other goodies. This ‘open to all’ competition is currently on and will continue until May 7.
—[email protected]
PARTICIPATE IN AN EATING COMPETITION
Visit The Jungle Restaurant, Qurum (through May 7th)
+968 9428 1824
+968 9569 0658
[email protected]
[email protected]
