A Japanese holder of seven Guiness World Records for competitive eating, Takeru âthe Tsunamiâ Kobayashi, is slated to show off his skills at an event to mark the 10th anniversary of bakery chain Breadlife at Central Park shopping mall in West Jakarta on Saturday
Japanese holder of seven Guiness World Records for competitive eating, Takeru 'the Tsunami' Kobayashi, is slated to show off his skills at an event to mark the 10th anniversary of bakery chain Breadlife at Central Park shopping mall in West Jakarta on Saturday.
Kobayashi and other local celebrities will eat as many of the bakery's latest product, Kuro Banana Cream buns, as possible within three minutes for charity.
Celebrities scheduled to participate in the event include Melanie Subono, Demian Aditya, Sara Wijayanto, Enno Lerian, Sogi Indra Dhuaja, Nico Oliver, Augie Fantinus and Anya Dwinov.
'For every bun they eat, Rp 500,000 [US$35] will be given to charity foundation Rumah Harapan,' Breadlife head of marketing Andrew told a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.
Speaking during the press conference, Kobayashi said he was excited to greet Jakartans on Saturday.
'This is my first time in Jakarta and I am very excited to participate in this event,' he said through an interpreter.
The professional competitive eater, standing 173 centimeters in height and weighing 58 kilograms, responded to questions about his eating habits, saying 'when I am not competing, I actually eat like a normal person'.
He acknowledged that he was blessed with a fast metabolism, enabling him to a maintain slim figure even when eating large quantities.
'I do have a high metabolism and I exercise a lot. I usually enhance my stomach's capacity before competitions by drinking 12 liters of water in 90 seconds,' he said, citing yoghurt and tofu as his favorite foods.
Kobayashi explained that he also ran 5 kilometers four times a week to maintain his stamina.
Initially reluctant to show off his eating skills during the press conference, Kobayashi eventually accepted the crowd's challenge and ate a Kuro Banana Cream bun in six seconds.
'I always try and develop new techniques to improve my eating capacity,' he said.
Kobayashi's world records include eating 110 bunless hot dogs in 10 minutes at the New York State Fair in 2012.
Andrew said that the event would also feature an eating challenge for the public.
'We've limited the number of participants to 10. There will be prizes for winners,' he said.
The event, which will begin at 4 p.m. at the shopping mall's Tribeca Park, will also feature performances from traditional Japanese musician Taiko, local band RAN and live DJs.
Breadlife has 64 outlets in 14 cities across the country, including 42 in Greater Jakarta.
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