Curtis Sliwa is currently vying for the position of Mayor in New York City. However, my most vivid memory of him is from a past encounter at the World Hot Dog Eating Championships. Sliwa seeks to secure a prominent role in global politics and will soon discover his fate in the mayoral race on Tuesday. Yet, akin to the 1997 World Hot Dog eating contest, it appears that the contentious Republican candidate is headed towards a defeat.
I distinctly recollect our participation under the scorching sun in Coney Island on Independence Day in 1997. It was an unconventional experience as we exchanged handshakes before the competition commenced. The event, broadcast live on Japanese television, involved us fervently consuming hot dogs.
Following the allocated 12 minutes, the judges tallied the consumed hot dogs. Sliwa ranked 7th after devouring 15, while I trailed behind in 11th place with 11 hot dogs. The victor, Hirofumi Nakajima, managed to consume 24 and a half hot dogs.
I can still visualize the moment when I glanced at my fellow competitors, including Sliwa, a prominent figure in New York even back then, 28 years ago. Both of us observed the pre-competition favorites, American Ed Krachie and Nakajima.
Reflecting on that time, I wrote: “So 17 individuals stood in line — 13 Americans, three Japanese, and myself. The favorites had their own pre-match rituals. Nakajima, standing at 5ft 8in and weighing 8 st 3lbs, quietly stretched. Krachie, towering at 6ft 7in and weighing 23 st 41b, confidently dismissed his overseas competitors. Then strategies were discussed. Some preferred the ‘dunk’ method, while the Japanese opted to eat the sausage separately from the bun. The battle commenced at high noon on Coney Island.”
Sliwa, known for founding the Guardian Angels, a vigilante-style group sporting red berets that patrolled New York streets in the 1990s, has always been a controversial yet recognizable figure in the city.
The mayoral race, aimed at replacing current Mayor Eric Adams, has been fiercely contested. It features former governor Andrew Cuomo as an Independent candidate, Zohran Mamdani as the Democratic Party nominee, and Sliwa.
The current scenario starkly contrasts with that of 28 years ago. It seems that Sliwa had a better chance of winning the 1997 Coney Island contest than he does of prevailing in the upcoming mayoral election.