Subway conductor the new matzo ball champ
He was fine until they brought out the gefilte fish....
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A 33-year-old subway conductor set a record Tuesday by eating 21 baseball-size matzo balls in 5 minutes and 25 seconds to win the sixth annual matzo ball eating contest at Ben's Kosher Deli in Manhattan.
Eric "Badlands" Booker of Copaigue, New York, said he felt "great" after the contest.
"The matzo balls were a little fluffier than what I trained with," Booker said. "When I noticed that, I was like a horse out of the gate at Belmont."
Booker -- who won a $2,500 gift certificate from a chain of electronics and appliance stores -- beat out seven other veteran matzo ball eating competitors, including Oleg Zhornitskiy, who ate 16 1/4 matzo balls to win the 2002 competition.
The event benefits the Interfaith Nutrition Network, a nonprofit organization that operates soup kitchens, emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families in Long Island.
Sure, it's one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but it was for a good cause, right? And next week, Mr. Booker will be doing a cameo on "Fear Factor"....
