Personally I can't see what the big deal is with these eating competitions, but it takes all kinds, huh? Maybe he just wanted a free feed?
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20031107p2a00m0fp001000c.html
Tokyo man slurps 94 bowls of 'wanko soba'
A 35-year-old company employee ate 94 small bowls of noodles in two minutes to win the Tokyo round of a national big eating contest, organizers said.
Hirokazu Shiraishi from Tokyo's Edogawa-ku took part in the local elimination round for the national contest and slurped bowl after bowl of "wanko soba."
The Tokyo elimination round was held Wednesday and Thursday at a specialty sales office in the Ginza district operated by the Iwate Prefectural Government, which is well-known for such small bowls of noodles.
The Hanamaki Municipal Government in the prefecture will sponsor the national contest in February next year.
The runner-up in the Tokyo contest was a 28-year-old woman from Shinjuku-ku, who ate 47 bowls of noodles. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Nov. 7, 2003)