To be frank, I don’t associate the Fourth of July with patriotism, tea throwing parties, declarations, or even fireworks. Red, white, and blue are just complementary colors for a day all about the beige and slightly burnt orange. That’s right, the Fourth of July means one thing and thing alone: hot dog eating contests.
Growing up, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Kobayashi relentlessly tearing hot dogs in two, submerging them in his water cup, and then devouring every last bit. His mechanical repetition of that action 40, 50, 60 times over and over again during the ten minute time frame was mesmerizing.