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Takeru Kobayashi, Philadelphia epicure
Takeru Kobayashi must be a great dinner date, because it seems like everyone's sitting down for a meal with him.
Takeru Kobayashi, Philadelphia epicure
Takeru Kobayashi must be a great dinner date, because it seems like everyone's sitting down for a meal with him. Dan McQuade of Philly Mag's Philly Post and Enrico Campitelli Jr. of The 700 Level both had the opportunity to break bread with the world-renowned Japanese competitive eater, who's in town to compete in/probably massacre the Wing Bowl. Both documented their experience for their respective publications. Kobi, as his friends call him, dined at Osteria with McQuade and at Garces Trading Co. with Campitelli, and guess what? He's a true food nerd, just like the rest of us. From McQuade's piece:
Kobi isn’t just an eater; he’s a foodie. He takes photos of everything he eats. (He really enjoyed the octopus salad at Osteria.) He goes out to eat all the time. He clearly thinks about food a lot. He claims he can’t cook, but James says she'll see him frying things for himself on the grill. "We’re thinking about cooking classes," she says.
Over the The 700 Level, Campitelli found it difficult to get past Kobi's pre-meal "snack," but still managed to get him to comment on our requisite cheesesteak-vs.-roast pork imponderable:
Whereas my own breakfast and lunch consisted of a bowl of oatmeal and half a meatball sub, Kobi had already polished off… wait for it… 300 chicken wings, a couple of Tony Luke's Italian Roast Porks and a few Cheeesesteaks, and a whole box of cookies to wash them down. The tiny man sitting across from me cleaning his plate had already eaten 300 wings earlier in the day as part of his training for Friday's big event, the top prize of which is a $20,000 pay check.
Three hundred wings. For practice.
(He also weighed in on the age-old Philly debate: "If I want to have a heavier food, I order the cheesesteak. If I want a bit lighter food, I'd order the Roast Pork.")
Photo: the700level.com
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