If the old saw is correct and, "You are what you eat," then Takeru Kobayashi is a hot dog. In more ways than one.
First, he is the brightest star in one of the world's fastest growing "sports" -- competitive eating. And what he is most renowned for is his dominance of the "sports' " marquee event, Nathan's annual Fourth of July hot dog chow down, which he has won for six years running and where he once devoured 53 plus dogs in 12 minutes.
That's right. Twelve minutes. And that other phrasing is right, too. Competitive eating is catching on.