Making Room for Whatever Is on the Table

Richard Shea dismisses criticism that his organization is contributing to the county's obesity epidemic. "We are not celebrating waste or gluttony," he said. "We are celebrating people's physical abilities to display great talents at the competitive eating table.''

An emergency medical technician is present at all contests but has never been needed, Shea said. Elvis leaves the building, Shea added, about three to six times a year when an inexperienced eater fails to "pace himself.''

He said that when he saw Thomas at her first event, a hot-dog-eating contest in New Jersey in 2003, he thought: " 'Oh, boy, this poor gal is going to get killed by all these guys.' But it wasn't the case. She just has this inherent ability."

It is a talent that Thomas didn't know she had while growing up in South Korea. Her father was a carpenter and her mother a homemaker. The family was so poor that at times it was not possible to buy meat, she recalls.

"I ate normal Korean food -- rice and vegetables, that's it," she said.

She did develop a love of seafood, which would serve her well. In 2004, she devoured nine pounds of crawfish jambalaya in a world-record 10 minutes.

And Thomas's favorite food as a child was eggs. She would later scarf down 65 hard-boiled eggs in six minutes and 40 seconds, another record.

Still, Thomas said, she ate normal portions until she came to the United States in 1997 -- when she encountered Burger King. All those giant diet colas expanded her stomach, and her developing love of french fries didn't hurt, either.

It was then that Thomas began eating what remains her regular once-daily meal: a large order of Burger King fries; 10 chicken tenders; a grilled-chicken sandwich (hold the mayo); and her three 42-ounce diet colas. When she's off work, she likes eating at seafood buffets, and she mostly snacks on fruit.

By 2003, Thomas had developed a different craving: She wanted a challenge. Watching the Coney Island hot dog contest on television, she thought: "I wanted to do something special. I wanted my face on TV. So I decided to try it.''

She entered a hot-dog-eating contest in New Jersey. After several minutes, she had managed to eat only one. But then she noticed something: The other eaters were dunking their buns in water, making them easier to eat, and breaking the hot dogs in half. "I copied them," she says.

Seventeen hot dogs later, Thomas had won with a total of 18 down in 12 minutes. "I could feel my stomach expanding," she recalled.

A few days later at Coney Island, she raised that total to 25 dogs, and earlier this year, she downed 37 at the Coney Island competition, breaking the women's world record of 32 she had set in 2004.

"They were so surprised, all the guys, that this newcomer, this little girl, could eat that much food," said the 5-foot-5 Thomas. Competitive eating is more mental than physical, she says. "In the middle of it, I talk to myself. I say, 'I gotta win, I gotta win.' ''

"You have to pace yourself, control yourself, make time for belching."

If Thomas was pacing herself in the wing-eating contest, it was not evident to a reporter (who felt a bit ill watching her). If anything, she gained speed as her rivals slowed, and she managed to stuff down two more wings in the final six or seven seconds.

But her focus was clear. Thomas never so much as glanced at the other eaters, though some of them nervously looked over at her. And she didn't crack a smile -- until the contest was over.

Today, Thomas is a virtual conglomerate. She has earned more than $50,000 in prize money this year and has a Web site, http://www.sonyatheblackwidow.com , that lists her records and extensive media appearances. She also provides nuggets of wisdom for her fans, including this jab at her male opponents: "It's difficult for some male egos to accept defeat by a member of the opposite sex, especially a little one like me. It's a blow to their pride."

She is unsure how long she will continue eating competitively, but her dream is clear: She wants to open a fast-food restaurant.