UNITED KINGDOM: Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas a Petite American woman scoffs mince pies to win Britain's first official competitive eating contest

Record ID: 742093

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas a Petite American woman scoffs mince pies to win Britain's first official competitive eating contest
  • Date: 3rd December 2006
  • Summary: (L!1) WOOKEY HOLE, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 29, 2006) (REUTERS) TRACKING VIEW ACROSS COMPETITION TABLE OF MINCE PIES ON PLATES WIDE VIEW OF PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES OF WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPION OF COMPETITIVE EATING, SONYA THOMAS, IN FRONT OF TABLE WITH STACK OF MINCE PIES VARIOUS OF THOMAS PRETENDING TO EAT PIES FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS, AHEAD OF EVENT CONTESTANT DRESSED AS CLO
  • Embargoed: 18th December 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA48XHFQHS3EZZ0TT5K5T84032
  • Story Text: Mince pies are traditionally associated with Christmas but after Wednesday (November 29, 2006y may equally be linked with competitive eating.
    Hundreds of people entered a draw to be a contestant in the "Big Eat Mince Pie Eating Contest."
    A place at the table was reserved for U.S. contestant Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, who weighs 48 kilograms (105 pounds). She earned her nickname after regularly defeating men five times her size.
    Thomas, 39, has won thousands of dollars in previous competitions where, for example, she has chomped her way through 65 boiled eggs in six minutes and 40 seconds.
    Britain's first official competitive eating contest took place in Somerset, western England, with contestants starting the 10-minute race with a plate full of 50 mince pies in front of them.
    By the end, a total of 159-and-a-half mince pies had been devoured.
    Mince Pies, a candied fruit and sugar mixture in a dense pastry crust are a Christmas-time favourite in Britain and proved slightly more difficult for the women's world champion of competitive eating.
    "Other food is a little bit wet so you don't need a lot of liquid so you can be quicker. But this one, the mince pie, is dry so you need liquid together. So, it takes more time to swallow. So that's why I don't think I did well," said Thomas after she finished 46 pies just before the deadline.
    But it was certainly enough to beat her 13 rivals and pocket £1,000 GBP (1,950 U.S. dollars).
    Her next closest competitors were Shane Bridle, from Somerset, who scoffed 15 pies and earned the second prize of £500 GBP (975 U.S. dollars), and local chef Gary Harrison who at 13 and earned £250 GBP (488 U.S. dollars).
    Health campaigners have condemned the competition, saying it sets a bad example by glorifying gluttony.
    But, the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) which supervises and regulates eating contests around the world, says that's not true.
    "They're all thin," said Ryan Nerz, a representative of the organisation who sanctioned the Somerset contest. "I think it not only doesn't promote obesity, but you'll see that it's kind of athletic. Sonya Thomas does a lot of motion when she's eating and, you know, the fat people don't win these contests anymore."
    Based in New York, the IFOCE co-ordinates events in the United States, Japan, England, Germany, Canada, Ireland, Thailand and the Ukraine.
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