Cameron: First off, this was a very very bad idea. Let's just get that out of the way first. We went to Taco Bell on our weekly friday lunch, and the Eating Contest was on. The rules were simple: One crunchwrap to start of with, and then: Tacos. Endless Tacos. Some of us bought ten a peice, and the rest hedged thier bets. Kwong got an early lead, but soon Kevin passed him, never to be passed again. It was a vicious and greuling race. People stopped, only to start agian when thier place in the ranking was passed. In the end the score came down to:

King Kevin: 13
Gabe: 11
Cam, Kwong, Steve: 10
Grace: 9
Terrible Tim: 7

The bad times continued when we went out for Ice Cream later. Oh, I hurt.

My strategy was to avoid soda, and drink water with a dash of lemonade, hoing to avoid unessacary calories and clean the pipes. It didn't stop the pain.


Kevin:I knew that I could down at least 10 tacos -- even on a day of non-hunger. The trick was to manage bursts of intimidation through persistent trash talk and a fast eating pace out of the gate. Once I hit 11 tacos, everybody backed off -- except Gabe. It took two more tacos combined with his critical error of eating some soft tacos to capture the win. I feel stuffed, but ok. I'm just dreading the trip to the bathroom later. If I read Grace's blurb before the contest, I would have finished behind Tim.

Gabe:The most effective technique I know is to, in moderation, wash down the food with diet soda. The carbonation helps break down the food and gaseously clear out the stomach. As far as this contest in particular is concerned, choosing soft tacos over crunchy tacos is a mistake; soft tacos tend to be larger, and their structure doesn't cause some of the extrenuous ingredients to fall out (like crunchy tacos do). I started with soft tacos, but switched to crunchy after eating six of them.

Steve:I screwed myself by eating soft tacos. Crunchy seemed to be the better choice. Water is what I used to help wash down the warm cat food wrapped in my poor choice of shells. Unable to burp because of the density of the tacos the first hour was spent in pain. After an hour had passed as well as gasses from all directions it appears that I have weathered the worst part and I am returning to my natural state. Hopefully I am not taken back to a bad place in a few hours on my Bart ride home.

Kwong:

Grace:Crunchy tacos was the way to go. Past eating competitions have taught me to avoid soft, mushy foods whenever possible. My chaser was a raspberry iced tea. I would have preferred a brisk unsweetened cup, but the KFC/Taco Bell machine is all about the sugar water. But nothing... NOTHING... will save you from the AWFUL taste of Taco Bell meat. It was the worst part of every taco. It looks like cat food unworthy of being served in a crystal bowl to Mr. Whitepuffyfluffycat in those snooty cat food commercials. About 30 minutes after, I had a raging headache (Taco Bell hangover?) but the pain has already subsided. If only the inevitable weight gain would pass as easily...

Tim:The biggest hurdle during my taco-eating journey was the poor conditions of my mouth. TMJ causing massive jaw pops, tortilla shards scraping against canker sores, and ground beef being wedged in deep molar pits were my downfall. Current status: Feelin good, though my treacherous imagination and coworkers had earlier placed me atop the precipice looming over chukage-hood. I hate them.