June 26th, 2007 by dd
And you thought mild indigestion was the worst that could happen at an eating contest? Well, think again.
Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi, who has won six straight Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contests, suffered a serious jaw injury while training for the July 4 event.
The Japanese eating legend was diagnosed with jaw arthritis and can barely open his mouth. In an entry on his blog entitled “Occupational hazard,'’ Kobayashi said: “My jaw refused to fight any more.'’
“I feel ashamed that I couldn’t notice the alarm bells set off by my own body,'’ he said. “But with the goal to win another title with a new record, I couldn’t stop my training so close to the competition. I was continuing my training and bearing with the pain but finally I destroyed my jaw.'’
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Posted in Japan, Food, Kobayashi | 
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June 3rd, 2007 by dd
The King is Dead; Long Live the Chestnut!
Joey Chestnut, 22, of San Jose, shattered the record held by Takeru Kobayashi of Japan by downing 59 1/2 “HBDs” — hot dogs and buns – in 12 minutes during the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship Tempe, Arizona.
Kobayashi’s old record of 53 3/4 was set last year at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, held at Coney Island in New York.
Chestnut, who also answers to the nickname “Jaws,” placed second in last year’s world championships, consuming 52 hot dogs.
“He’s unbelievable — he just keeps on going,” said Ryan Nerz, who works for Major League Eating, which he describes as “a world governing board for all stomach-centric sports.”
DaDump is skeptical about this feat and wants the governing association to do a mandatory drug test to check for laxative or steroid use.
Kobayashi: the agony of defeat
Posted in Food, Kobayashi | 4 Comments »
May 31st, 2007 by dd
In this photo, Zhang Ziyi wets her lips and looks longingly at the Sumo wrestler thinking ________ .
Posted in Japan, China, Food, Zhang Ziyi | 2 Comments »
May 10th, 2007 by dd
The man, the myth, the legend
Mr. Chow’s is THE place to go to see and be seen from coast to coast; where everyone and anyone worth a paparazzi pic goes for added publicity. But now, the elusive founder, Mr. Chow, is under fire from three former waiters who claim the mogul slapped, kicked and often abused them in the kitchen.
According to a lawsuit filed in a New York federal court, the former employees accuse Michael Chow of running his Manhattan place like “a conductor with an iron baton” and causing his workers to “suffer many day-to-day indignities.” Among those alleged indignities were that Chow would “tap or lightly slap” a waiter on the back of the head to get his attention and once “scribbled with pen” on the employees’ $350 uniforms, which they were forced to purchase with their own cash.
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Posted in Asian American, China, Celebrity, Food, Mr.Chow | 1 Comment »
April 25th, 2007 by dd
(Cue Music: “Wakka chikka wakka chikka…”
Dim the lights, pan camera across room and zoom in for a close up of hot, steamy dumplings)
Oh yeahhhh. You know you want it, baby. Don’t deny it.
I see your mouth watering as you rub your tummy. You can just taste it, can’t you. See the light glisten off that soft, nearly translucent skin. It’s so close you can count the folds in the skin and see the sweat form…
Go ahead and do it - it’s Hump Day! … Just make sure no one is peeking over your shoulder as you indulge in a little food porn debauchery. It’s addictive but oh so worth it….
…betcha dumplings never made you feel this dirty before?
Posted in Food | 1 Comment »
March 27th, 2007 by dd
Yes, DD will always choose crass over class with the headlines… because you know you like it.
In celebration of Nobu’s 10th anniversary party of Nobu in London, Fergalicious of the Black Eyed Peas stopped by for a meet and greet with the chef himself.
Posted in Japan, Celebrity, Food, Nobu | No Comments »
January 11th, 2007 by dd
Celebrity Japanese chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa said Wednesday that actor De Niro, his partner in the upscale restaurant chain Nobu, is a hands-off partner.
Sounding like an overworked, underappreciated wife, Matsuhisa said of De Niro at a press tasting, “He likes to eat. He likes to drink. But he never stays in the kitchen” .
Asked if De Niro makes culinary suggestions, Matsuhisa said De Niro doesn’t. “He’s a good partner. He understands my philosophies. He trusts me 100 percent about the food,” he said.
Matsuhisa said De Niro focuses mostly on acting but occasionally gets together with him to discuss Nobu’s business.
He said he hopes De Niro will attend the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong branch of Nobu in February.
Matsuhisa said the Hong Kong restaurant, the chain’s 17th branch, will feature largely the same menu as Nobu restaurants elsewhere in the world, but that he may create new grilled abalone and shark’s fin dishes, both popular delicacies in Hong Kong.
Nobu restaurants are also located in New York City, Milan, London and Tokyo. [FoxNews]
Posted in Hong Kong, Japan, Film, Food, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa | No Comments »
January 8th, 2007 by dd
This is the first time, honest. I’ve never done this before, I swear! Trust me, babe…
Sound familiar? Well, for Daily Dumpling, it’s true. I’ve never hawked a site before but a dear friend and blog virgin has just entered the fray of the Asian celebrity blogosphere and unlike some pretenders, she and her snarky co-conspirator actually take the time to write their own entries. Novel concept, I know.
So if you’re a fan of all fun things in Korea, check out Popseoul, a blog about entertainment, style, travel, shopping and food I Seoul.
Posted in Korea, Music, Film, TV, Food | 1 Comment »
January 7th, 2007 by dd
My well balanced diet at university included a disproportionate amount of instant noodles. So much so that I was convinced 1/3 of my body mass consisted of ramen.
Sadly, Momofuku Ando, the Japanese inventor of the snack that has sold billions of servings worldwide since its launch, died on Friday at the age of 96, according to an official at Nissin Food Products, the company he founded.
He was inspired to develop the world’s first instant-noodle product after coming across a long line of people waiting to buy fresh “ramen” noodles from a black market stall during the food shortages after World War Two.
Providing the instant noodles in a waterproof styrofoam container that could be used to cook them using just hot water proved a stroke of marketing genius that made the product a hit with time-pressed people around the world.
I am sure a steaming styrofoam cup of Chicken ramen noodles is awaiting you at the pearly gates… Rest in Peace.
Posted in Japan, Celebrity, Food, Momofuku Ando | 1 Comment »
December 26th, 2006 by dd
It’s that time of year again. Time to reflect on the year gone by and jot down our hopeful resolutions in anticipation of the year ahead. Before we close the book on 2006, however, the Daily Dumpling thought it would be fun to hand down our first annual Dumpling awards. This wholly unscientific and completely biased survey is meant to highlight the best and, in one case, the worst that dumplings the world over have to offer. So before I get too long winded and non-sensical, may I now present to you, the ‘Dumplings’:
Movie of the Year
Dumplings
Book of the Year
Dumplings Are Delicious
Mascot of the Year
Dumpling Man
Celebrity of the Year
Bai Ling, distant cousin of ‘Dump Ling’
Dumpling Lover of the Year
Takeru Kobayashi:
At a speed-eating contest in Hong Kong in 2005, Kobayashi consumed 83 vegetarian dumplings in 8 minutes – Yummy!
Dumplings of the Year
Gong Li in ‘Curse of the Golden Flower’
A Close Runner Up
Room Full of Dumplings in ‘Curse of the Golden Flower’
Rotten Dumpling of the Year
Rosie O’Donnell for her lack of awareness and remorse
Click Here to review ‘Ching Chong’ incident
Posted in Japan, Asian American, China, Film, TV, Fashion, Food, Bai Ling | No Comments »
