Every year, on the Friday before Super Bowl Sunday, Philadelphians gather at the First Union Center for a different type of contest: The Wing Bowl. A tradition that started 9 years ago, the annual Wing Bowl festivities start at the crack of dawn. The audience tailgates in the parking lot while the contestants prepare to eat as many Buffalo wings as possible in a 30-minute time-span. Its become a hallmark of Philly life, with more than 20,000 people showing up for last years event. Only in Philly. Last year’s winner is nicknamed “El Wingador”, and he ate 137 wings in 30 minutes (the highest score of all time was 164 wings!)
Particularly interesting, and more disgusting than eating 100+ wings in 30 minutes, are the Qualifying Stunts performed by wing bowl hopefuls. A good stunt typically includes some sort of gross variety of food, eaten quickly and in mass quantities (strange, as I would think that has little to do with your wing-eating ability). Highlights this year include people eating: Four pounds of tripe in 20 minutes, a pigs head (including snout, cheek and the brain), A dozen hard boiled eggs with shells in 24 minutes, fifty raw clams in fifteen minutes, three pounds of head scrapple and bottle of hot sauce in 20 minutes, and one pound uncooked penne pasta with only 8 ounces of water in 20 minutes. Only in Philly…
1/25/02 – Update: El Wingador does it again. 143 total wings (81 in the first 14 minnutes). Three time champ. I love the nicknames these guys have; there was a 15 year old student in the contest – his nickname is Lord of the Wings…