Los Fresnos News

Los Fresnos Hosts First Taco Eating Contest

The nine contestant of the taco eating contest during the monthly Artisan Market. Photo: Tony Vindell/LFN

by Tony Vindell/LFN

A taco eating contest was held in Los Fresnos recently, making it the first time the city hosts such an event.

Nine competitors were up against the clock for 30 minutes gobbling up as many orders of the three tacos as they could.

Six bowed out of the contest as their stomach could not take it anymore.

A girl, the only one of a male-dominated competition devoured nine orders, or 27 taquitos altogether and sat through the ordeal while two men kept consuming as many taquitos as they could not eat.

In fact, the two men sort of a contest between two men getting sick and who did not stop eating tacos.

In the end, one of the men was declared the winner even though the girl didn’t bow out.

Jose Osegueda, of The Weekender Catering, or the company that prepared and cooked the meal known among Mexican-Americans as a discada, said the two were not disqualified for getting sick because that was not in the rules but will try to correct the mishap in the future.

At first, the contestants started eating the taquitos to their hearts content but after a while they began standing up one by one in a Roberto Duran-styled gesture of enough is enough.

The last two contestants Tania Gonzalez, left, and Jorge Giraldo before the end of the discada. Photo: Tony Vindell/LFN

Tania Gonzalez, the female contestant, said she ate nine serving of three taquitos, each made up of three meats, vegetables and spices.

Asked why she competed against a team of men some of whom weighed 200 pounds or more, she said she did it for the fun.

“I just wanted to join the camaraderie,” Gonzalez said. “I felt just fine.”

In the end, Jorge Giraldo, one of the men who got sick, was declared the winner as he ate 18 servings of taquitos.

The taco eating contest was one of the many attractions of the monthly Under the Stars Artisan Market organized by Los Fresnos Chamber of Commerce.

Al Champion, the chamber executive director, said they are happy with how the market evenings have been going and for how the community has responded.

“We held the first one in November,” he said, “and have had one every month since.”

He said the next Artisan Market is Sept. 22.