Wing eating contest sets MTSU on fire

Twenty-five students participated in ARAMARK's second Annual Hot Wing Eating Contest at Middle Tennessee State University's McCallie dining hall last Thursday.



A crowd gathered to watch students participate in the contest, which rewarded the winner with a $250 cash prize for eating 15 hot wings in the shortest amount of time.



"The rules are you can't get up to get a drink," said James Perry, ARAMARK coordinating director. "So they either have to take the heat or get out of the kitchen."



Perry said having contests like these give students who don't have a meal plan a chance to see what ARAMARK does for the MTSU community.



"We try to have different fun events to break up the monotony," Perry said. "We have smaller events almost every week and we are thinking about having a watermelon-eating contest in the fall."



Harrison Crite, a senior marketing major and the winner of the contest, ate all 15 of his wings in three minutes.



"On my second wing, I wanted to cry because it was so hot," Crite said. "After the sixth wing, my lips were burning from the sauce, but I just had to get through it."



Crite said he has participated in eating contests like this before, but he actually hates spicy food.



"My technique is that I just love to eat," Crite said. "I'm going to use the money to help pay for my rent."



"Batman" Capazoli, McCallie's executive pastry chef, said made the sauce for the wings himself with Naga Jolokia peppers, the hottest chili peppers in the world.



"They've got a heat rating of over a million heat units," Capazoli said. "To put into perspective, the Red Savina peppers have a heat rating of about half a million, so the Naga pepper is twice as hot."



Capazoli said he had been soaking the wings in the sauce for hours to ensure absolute spiciness.



"Last year the winner only ate 12 between two rounds, and the sauce wasn't even this hot," Capazoli said. "I loved making these wings because I really love hot food."



Students and alternates had to sign waivers before they could participate in the contest.



"I'm a pretty hungry guy, and I live for spicy food," said Jeremy Simmons, a freshman recording industry major. "I'm pretty sure I can win this, and if I do, I'll use the money to buy myself a nice dinner."



While some students were serious about winning the contest, others were there simply because friends wanted them to sign up.



"This is my first time participating in a contest and the competition doesn't look too good," said Anthony Hunt, a senior business management major. "My roommate made me sign up, and I don't really think I have a chance of winning, but at least I'm willing to admit it."



John Tate, ARAMARK food director, said the prize money was ARAMARK-sponsored.



"We started this contest last year, and we are planning on continuing it every year," Tate said.



March 30, 2009


 
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