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Famous Death Row Last Meals
July 4th. Surf and Stillwell Avenues. The crowd, thousands strong,
bristles in the scorching heat, and the announcer hams it up.
"This, the hot dog, the symbol of patriotism!" he bellows; the crowd cheers.
It's the 91st annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and I stand in
the throngs to bear witness. American Joey Chestnut keeps a one-to-two-dog
lead over five-time champion Takeru Kobayashi. The mood tenses, tight
as a sausage skin. The minutes tick by. Kobayashi evens the score.
Then he steps ahead. The clock winds to zero, and Kobayashi wins by a
dog and three quarters at 53.75.
The 12 minutes of the contest leave me breathless, and I marvel
at the notion of food as a patriotic symbol. Is a hot dog patriotic?
Do other foods share the honor?
