Gary Moskowitz
MAGNOLIA PARK -- Just when he thought he could not fit one more ounce
of food into his stomach, Kent Kramer grabbed his fourth overstuffed
submarine sandwich, rammed it into his mouth, chewed and swallowed, a
sweaty, uneasy, greasy grin on his face the whole time.
"I made my goal," said the queasy 17-year-old varsity nose tackle from
Burbank High School as he stumbled off the eaters stage of champions.
Kramer was one of eight designated eaters at the fourth annual
Burbank-Burroughs Eat Off, an experiment in self-determination and school
pride and a contest to see which team can eat the most food as a prelude
to Friday's big game between the two teams.
Kramer's raw determination was not enough, however, to take his three
XXXL-sized fellow varsity football teammates to victory Monday night.
The John Burroughs High School team, four lean eating-machine varsity
football players, chose a slow-but-steady approach to food consumption
that took them to their second consecutive victory over Burbank High.
With their Zen approach to eating, Burroughs managed to finish 16
foot-long sandwiches, while Burbank, whose team members ate as much as
they could as fast as they could, threw back just 14, then petered out.
By the last few timid minutes of the Eat Off, many participants were
crouched in their seats, hunched over the table and holding their
sandwiches loosely so that pieces of the sandwich would sort of slide out
onto the table "by mistake."
At the end of the race, several participants gathered behind the
eater's stage, grabbing a garbage can, providing those lucky enough to be
nearby with a colorful, explosive, outward view of what they had just
eaten.
