“In the US, home of professional food consumption, the governing body Major League Eating (MLE) presides over a pastime that, it claims, is the world’s fastest growing sport. Last month, 1.5 million people tuned in to ESPN to watch 23-year-old Joey “The Jaws” Chestnut defeat Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi in a tie-breaking eat-off at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, the biggest event on the eating calendar.”