Jun
30
Philadelphia Wing Bowl
Filed Under Travel
This is one of those events that some people only get one chance in a lifetime to see. Most people prefer not to have the chance, but still, it’s a good one to know about. Eating contests are a strange thing. While some of them seem built to celebrate the finesse and capacity of the eaters, others are more like grotesque versions of a culture gone insane. Reality tv seems to have gotten some kind of inspiration from these, but even the most queasy shows can’t live up to a live version.
Especially not if it’s Wing Bowl . Philadelphia Wing Bowl is an event that has amazed and amused onlookers since 1993, and there are many locals who wait for the opportunity to cross it off their bucket lists . It’s been held every year since then, and takes place the Friday before Super Bowl. People gather to see who can eat the most chicken wings in 30 minutes. There are cheerleaders in bikinis, and some of the top eaters have developed reputations, and large followings, over the years. It’s a very well-publicized event, where onlookers sometimes pack the auditorium so full that the organizers request that people not come, in order to avoid a too-full house.
It sounds both exciting and horrifying, and certainly a little bit amusing. But there’s also something else at work here that is terribly, terribly smart. Radio show hosts Al Morgani and Angelo Cataldi began the whole thing, and saw it as a celebration of gluttony. It began, then, with roots that were really rather profoundly planted, making an event that is supposed to provoke thought as much as a gut response. Fortunately, visitors to the city can enjoy the luxury Philadelphia hotels without having to watch someone eat more than 200 chicken wings in half an hour, because there’s a lot to see in the city. And there are plenty of pubs and restaurants that have some scrumptious recipes for this favorite. But, if the mood should hit, the week before Super Bowl is always a curious time to be here.
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