You could almost say that Jason “Crazy Legs” Conti is an expert in fasting, since he goes without eating for up to 36 hours at a time at least 40 times a year. But if you did say that, Conti would correct you:

While most weeks he does not put food in his mouth for a full day and a half, that is because he is busy digesting the 34 ¾ ears of corn.

He consumed in the prior 12 minutes, or the 24 dozen oysters he ate in eight. Eating takes on a completely different meaning in the world of competitive eaters.

That is what they call themselves; sometimes “gurgitators.” Conti is one of 50 ranked competitive eaters in “Major League Eating.” At the moment his rank is 14th.

He has eaten more corn on the cob in 12 minutes than anybody else on earth, or in any case more than anybody else in an eating contest sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (and why would somebody not in an eating contest eat so many so quickly?) The corn-eating is one of his four world records. His oyster-eating is not: The world record in oyster-eating was set by Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas in 2004 — 46 dozen oysters in ten minutes.