This Week in Food News: Independence Day Edition

1 Written by Marisa Miyasaki on July 6, 2012 – 5:00 am

Photo by majorleagueeating

Whether you spent the 4^th of July gorging yourself on BBQ or marveling at the fireworks display, chances are, you probably missed a few of the news stories that happened. Below, we’ve gathered all of the exciting articles that you may have missed this week:

• Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest has become a popular 4^th of July tradition, attracting large audiences to Coney Island and bringing widespread recognition to the crowned champion. This year, 28-year-old Joey Chestnut devoured 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes, winning his sixth straight Fourth of July hot-dog-eating contest. Beating out contender Tim Janus by 16 hot dogs, Chestnut’s victory earned him a prize of $10,000 and a yellow belt. In the same Coney Island venue, the 2^nd annual women’s competitive hot-dog-eating contest took place. 45-year-old Sonya Thomas scarfed down 45 hot dogs to win the $10,000 prize money and pink winner’s belt. The competition marked Thomas’s second win in a row, and brought further recognition to her “Black Widow” moniker.

• The coach of the Chinese women’s Olympic volleyball team, Yu Juemin, has made headlines after attributing his players’ recent decline in performance to a meat deficiency in their diet.  After the Chinese Olympians suffered a recent loss in the 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix finals, Yu Juemin revealed that the team had not been able to eat any meat for three weeks while on the road. In order to avoid eating meat tainted with the performance-enhancing additive known as clenbuterol, the team usually eats specially sourced meat from suppliers at their training base. An estimated 50 percent of meat consumed in Beijing restaurants contain clenbuterol, leading Chinese Olympians to avoid dining out at all costs. Echoing Yu Juemin’s concerns was Chinese sports medicine doctor, Zhao Jisheng, who has stated that a diet containing a significant amount of animal protein is an important part of the high-intensity training and competition.

• Sacramento deputies raided the Farmer’s Daughter restaurant on suspicion of running an illegal medical marijuana dispensary. The police confiscated 80 pounds of marijuana from the restaurant’s back room as well as “pot-laced goodies including lollipops, pastry balls, ice cream, cookie dough, and peanut butter.” The restaurant owner, who has not been named, was arrested. Many patrons who came to the restaurant primarily for the medical marijuana have expressed outrage at the police raid. The fate of the restaurant remains to be seen—the decision has been placed in the hands of the public health department. What do you think the public health department should do?

Have a great weekend!