Now, I know what the reader might be thinking. The average east Asian manly man is not quite the stature of the average westerner, but never underestimate your opponent. This bowl of ramen is truly enormous (I think it was a salad bowl) and full to the brim with boiling hot soup, about a half pound of noodles, two boiled eggs and several generous cuts of pork (not to mention several uzumaki naruto bits, without which, its just not ramen).
I looked up at the wall as I waited for mine to arrive at the table, I noted that the fastest completion time was just under 9 minutes. Even though I was just there to get the ramen for free (since I had little doubt that I could polish it off within 20 minutes) I felt in the back of my mind that I could beat that time if I put forth some effort.
I will spare the reader the details of my garish ramen-consuming frenzy; but suffice it to say that I finished this unbelievable bowl of noodles with kimchi, while conversing with my associate across the table, in about 7:30. This scored me the top slot at the bar and got me whatever I wanted free. It's a smart prize, since I am certain nobody wants anything else once they finish that thing, but just to prove a point - I ordered some rice balls and curry, which I ate while happily relishing the looks of amazement I was getting from the service staff.
When it was all said and done, I walked out with my name and picture on the wall and received a handshake from the owner, accompanied by clapping and cheering from the servers and a few of the other customers. to date, I am the only westerner on the board and the first person to top the old record in over a year.
This event was more fun than the double BK quad stacker I put away in Yongsan, which scored me a free meal card with the franchise manager's signature on the back and a photo on the bulletin board. And, I walked away without feeling like I had increased my risk of cholesterol-induced stroke by about 50%. the stacker was nice and everyone thought that was pretty cool - but that was cake compared to this ramen bowl. I have to get a picture to post so that the audience can get an idea of its enormity.
Anyway - that's that. I'll go look at my trophy spot on the wall of fame sometime later. Since we are on the subject of food and gratuitous overeating, I have decided to paste in an older post I made after having eaten my way out of a sushi bar in a port town in the far south of the country.
Here it is:
I have a bit of a reputation in parts of the Pacific rim for being able to put away a bit more food than the average person.
Once in Busan City, South Korea, I found myself locked in a life-or-death match of paper-rock-scissors with a drunk who had 10,000 won (about ten bucks) that I really wanted. I needed the money so that I could add it to my own to eat at a sushi/sashimi bar that I happened to find before I got on the boat to Japan.
I won the best 15 out of 20 or so games and the drunk finally began laughing and tossed me the money, saying “You the Kai-Vai-Vo Sun-seang-Nim!” (literally meaning: You’re the master/teacher of paper-rock-scissors).
I took the money and ran into the bar. I was on a tight budget since I had to change all of my cash for the boat ticket (because the beetle boat ticket teller wouldn’t acknowledge my credit card), so I was starving. I sat and ordered the “bottomless sushi platter” which consisted of samples of various rolls that alternated with each replinished order. Very good.
I ate continuously, plate after plate, until the waiter/rice-baller made a concerned glance to the manager, who came and (in careful English) explained that I had eaten more than enough.
I laughed and ordered another plate, when the manager told the server to cancel that order. I was surprised and tried to indicate with the menu that I had ordered an item that was technically without limit.
He just shook his head and apologized, saying something like, “You no more eat! Five men, maybe this much – but one man, we lose too many money!”
I had seven wooden platters stacked up and I had spent the last of my cash to eat my fill, so I made every attempt to explain that the menu did not specify a limit and that it was up to him to fill my orders until I was full.
In a final attempt to satisfy me, he suggested that I by an expensive drink with each new plate; but little did he know, I was broke after the initial cost of the meal.
So in the end I was denied and I was forced by my pride to leave the establishment; which I suppose is as close to getting kicked out as I might have gotten, considering my own size and the fact that most Korean people are very non-confrontational in their service practices.
That said, I'll take a moment to remind the reader that this is not something I do everyday. It is not a good practice for a martial artist to regularly overeat, since it leads to weight gain; but, I noted once before - this appreciation for food is one of my vices, so I offset it with vast amounts of exercise and a very regular diet most of the time. I would hate to set an unhealthy example with exploits like the one above. Remember kids: too much of a good thing can easily become a bad thing.
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Recent Update to the Ramen story:
I ate at the Ramen bar with some associates very recently and was approached by one of the staff after having finished a normal meal.
Apparently, the crew of a famous Korean television show that explores new and interesting restaurants in Seoul had visited the bar since my record-breaking bout. Since my time was the fastest ever by a large margin, it was apparently noticed by the host and the staff member wanted to get my contact information so that he could submit it to them.
Very interesting - I guess this path leads further than I had initially expected; I wonder how far the rabbit hole goes~
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