STUDMUFFIN Vest; NOIR Necklace; PATRICIA FIELD Top; AMERICAN APPAREL Bottoms.


The waitress comes by and prods us to look at the menu. I stall and ask the woman who averages just under a cheesesteak per minute how she came into the world of competitive eating. “When I was depressed I would eat a lot,” she says.

“To fill the void of something missing?” I ask.

“No, to hurt myself,” she says and then pauses before continuing. “But it turns out I could really eat.” And the negative became a positive. “I started to go to places that would give you a free big burger if you finished it or a t-shirt if you ate some huge dish,” she says. “I have a lot of t-shirts.” Now she gets paid to eat at Major League Eating contests.

The waitress is back, and very persistent. I defer to the woman who has consumed more than half a gallon of chili in six minutes and 48 cupcakes in eight. I plan to match her wing order no matter how many dozen she requests. “I’ll take 12, mild,” she says. Done.