This story originally appeared on my blog in 2011, a year after Japanese champion Kobayashi was controversially banned from the contest.

At approximately 12:00pm on the 4th of July, millions of Americans will pause their holiday BBQs, huddle around their television sets, and watch a group of competitors do something disgusting. For 10 straight minutes, they’ll witness wet hot dogs jammed into mouths already packed with beige paste, a disturbing cornucopia of convulsive eating mechanics, and a hot-dog-crazed crowd of thousands waving American flags.

This might seem like a strange way to celebrate our collective freedoms on Independence Day, but beneath the event’s grotesque pageantry is something that undeniably captures the public imagination. But what is it? Why do grown adults sit transfixed as the gorgefest unfolds in high definition, and why do children, fresh from watching the contest, eagerly challenge each other to see who can wolf down a dog fastest?

Opponents of the contest would tell you that it’s because Americans like watching gross things, or because everyone likes a good freak show. They may be partly right, but judging by A) how much Americans love thumbing their nose at everyone who tells them to eat healthy, B) how unapologetic-lack-of-restraint has become a trademark of modern America, and C) how the most popular TV shows in America are already just thinly-veiled allegories of the seven deadly sins, this contest is about as American as America gets. Throw in the fact that we’re the most obese country on the planet, and The Hot Dog Eating Contest could be the national pastime.