Eating like a ‘rikishi’ at Yoshinoya

An important part of training for the rikishi or sumo wrestler is to gain as much weight as possible. The sport involves a lot of grappling or shoving, and an underweight wrestler will clearly be at a disadvantage when faced with an opponent of formidable bulk. Two hundred kilos is deemed a "respectable" fighting weight, and it will take years of consuming massive quantities of food to reach ideal fighting form. The champion rikishi Takamisugi can drink 65 bowls of stew with 13 kilos of beef. They say that Konishiki, who weighs 285 kilos and is the heaviest rikishi in sumo wrestling history, could devour 10 bowls of stew, eight bowls of rice, 130 pieces of sushi, 25 portions of barbecued beef, and still have room for dessert. Whew!

At Yoshinoya’s gyudon eating contest held recently at the SM Megamall Atrium, the challenge was to find the biggest eater of them all — biggest, that is, in appetite and not just merely in terms of physical bulk. The challenge was to consume the most gyudon beef bowls in 20 minutes, and although 35 men passed the qualifying rounds held at the Yoshinoya branches in Park Square 1, Makati, SM Megamall, SM City North Edsa, Robinsons Galleria and V Mall Carpark, only 27 challengers showed up on the day of the contest.

"Over the past few years, we haven’t heard of eating contests. We know how much thrill this kind of contest generates. So Yoshinoya decided to bring back the excitement using everyone’s favorite gyudon beef bowls and we’re really happy our Filipino big eaters have responded enthusiastically to our dare," said Yoshinoya business unit head Leo Po.

How did the winners fare? Top prize-winner Art Paul Sison, 29 years old and a member of the singing group Wiseguys, consumed eight bowls of gyudon with 61 grams of leftover from the last bowl. He says, "I really have a big appetite for food and, of course, it helped that I was inspired during the finals by the thought of my ex-girlfriend in Canada whom I’m trying to win back." For his feat, he won P50,000 and a trophy.

Dino Eric Yu of Merville, Parañaque was a close second, eating eight bowls with 140 grams of leftover gyudon. He claims to have practiced for the contest by drinking an entire gallon of water in one sitting to increase his stomach’s capacity. His training regimen paid well, as he took home P30,000 and a trophy.

Third place winner was Douglas Candano who consumed seven bowls and took home P10,000 and a trophy. Other prizes, including a Yamaha X-1 were also given away in the grand draw of the Yoshinoya Gyudon Challenge Raffle promo.

Yoshinoya’s contest winners were a picture of efficiency and determination as they consumed bowl after bowl after bowl of Yoshinoya’s savory gyudon — thin, juicy slices of choice beef simmered with onions in a special sauce of herbs and spices, heaped on a bed of steaming, fluffy rice.