Not Even COVID Can Stop Joey Chestnut From Eating A 12-Pound Taco

By  Aimee Levitt

For obvious reasons, this year's Pacific Park World Taco Eating Championship, scheduled for this past Sunday, National Taco Day, was canceled. But Joey Chestnut, the king of competitive speed-eaters and last year's champion (82 street-style carnitas tacos in eight minutes), was not deterred. In the comfort and privacy of his own kitchen, he constructed a 12-pound walking taco and then proceeded to eat it in 38 minutes.

The ingredients, reports TMZ, were as follows:

  • 2 pounds of chips (Doritos)
  • 3 pounds of ground beef (seasoned with four packets of Taco Bell seasoning)
  • 2+ pounds of cheese
  • 1+ pound of salsa
  • 6+ avocados
  • onions and sour cream
  • Joey's signature green hatch and jalapeño sauce

    • These numbers are bit vague for my taste: what does "2+ pounds" mean, exactly? How much more than two pounds is it? Is it actually closer to three pounds (though "3- pounds" probably sounds less impressive)? And how much onion and sour cream was there? This is important information! We can get an idea from the video Chestnut posted:

    Despite the lack of precise measures, I think we can all agree that this is a really big-ass taco.

    As he prepares it, Chestnut reminisces about how, as a child, he would go to the local 7-Eleven after school and construct walking tacos at the taco bar. And then he goes to town, aided by two bottles of Gatorade Zero (blue flavor). His weapon of choice is a slotted spoon. The whole thing is gross, as you might expect, but what's really endearing is how much he seems to enjoy it, even at the very end. You've got to admire someone who loves his work so much. And now I kind of want a walking taco, though in a snack-sized bag.

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