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Week 11 Story: 30 for 30: The Iron Stomach

Updated Version: https://sites.google.com/view/davidrportfolio/30-for-30-the-iron-stomach

(ESPN Logos: Wikimedia Commons)

What if I told you that the greatest competitive eater got his start in middle school? That he has no fun while eating, but does it for the thrill of winning? That he is actually a fictional character from the movie Matilda? This is the story of Bruce "The Iron Stomach" Bogtrotter.

(Matilda (1996) - Bruce vs. Chocolate Cake Scene (4/10) | Movieclips)

"My name is Bruce Bogtrotter, and I'm the number one ranked competitive eater in the world. I hold the record for basically every food out there: hot dogs, Twinkies, honey butter chicken biscuits. If it can be eaten, I will eat the most of it in record time without a doubt. It all started when I was like 12 years old. We had this crazy principal named Ms. Trunchbull. She was absolutely nuts. In hindsight, the police should have definitely been involved from all the acts of child abuse she committed against us. Many of us had to go to therapy... Anyways, she made me eat an entire chocolate cake in front of the whole school. This cake was massive, and at the time I was really self-conscious about my weight. The only thing that got me through it was the whole school started cheering me on. They were all like 'Bruce! Bruce! Bruce!' and their cheers gave me a rush of adrenaline. I felt like death when I finished, but after eating that cake I was a hero in school. All the girls wanted me. Well, they wanted to see me eat, but whatever it's the same thing you know? It was from then on that I decided to commit my life to competitive eating. To be honest, I don't even like it, but I love the competition. It's something that I'm good at and the rush after a win makes everything worth it. But like any other sport, it starts taking a toll on your body."

If I were to ask you what the most dangerous sport is you would probably guess football or some other contact sport, right? Well you would be wrong if you answered that. Competitive eaters have the highest mortality rate out of all sports. Bruce has seen many of his dear friends be taken away too soon by the sport they love. He's even cheated death a couple of times himself.

"After my 10th heart attack I took a step back and had to reevaluate my life. The one thing I am good at in life is literally going to kill me if I don't stop. There were many sleepless nights, I was a shell of my former self, and my stoke tank was at an all-time low. So I asked myself, 'What would Paul Walker do?' I knew the answer. Paul Walker wouldn't give up. Even after losing his first race to Dominic he still got with his sister. If that's not inspiring then I don't know what is. So a couple hours after I was released from the hospital I started training for the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest which is hosted every Fourth of July."

It's Fourth of July at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Number one versus number two. Bruce Bogtrotter versus Joey Chestnut. The stage is set and the crowd is growing restless.

"Joey and I are neck and neck near the end of the contest. There's maybe thirty seconds left and I'm pushing myself to my limit. I felt like I was about to pass out from the pain, but then the image of Paul Walker came into my head and everything went black. When I came to I was holding up the championship belt and everyone was going wild. Joey told me he was going to retire. He was the only other eater that could even come close to me. I realized at this moment it was time to pass the torch onto the next generation. I left my mark on the competitive eating scene. I knew Paul Walker would be proud of me."

Author's Note: The origin folk tale this story is based on is called “Atdlarneq, The Great Glutton.” In this story, Atdlarneq is a great seal hunter who always manages to catch multiple seals every time he goes out to hunt. Then one day while he’s out hunting, he sees a house with a lot of women. He decides to go to the house and the women treat him well. Then Atdlarneq finds out that the master of the house is coming home soon so he decides to hide. When the master comes home Atdlarneq reveals himself and the master treats him well too. However, the master makes Atdlarneq eat a lot of food or else he will beat him up basically. Atdlarneq ends up nearly dying from overeating and decides to never go South again. For my retelling, I chose to tell it kind of how ESPN does their 30 for 30 series. I also incorporated a character from the movie “Matilda” into it who was forced to eat a huge chocolate cake in front of his whole school as a punishment. I thought of this movie scene immediately when I read about how Atdlarneq was forced to keep eating. Once again, I added some aspects from the San Clemente City Council Meeting about the Paul Walker statue. It’s a callback to one of my previous stories and I thought it would add some more humor to students who had read that story earlier this semester.

Bibliography: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part B

(Inuit Man 1906: Wikimedia Commons)

Papik
It’s interesting how Ailaq’s mom kills herself to avenge his death. I feel as though she could have gotten back at Papik some other way.
Papik dies in such a gruesome way, but I could see it coming.
I like how this is like a ghost story one would tell kids to make them not kill others.

Patussorssuaq
The theme of both of these stories has been envy. I could incorporate envy into my own retelling if I choose to retell this story.
He kills his uncle pretty early in the story which surprised me.
I wish the story explained how he ended up with his uncle’s wife. It just happened without any explanation and then she dies.
Another theme is murderers being punished for their deeds.

The Wife
It’s crazy to me how one person could start a war between tribes. It reminds me of Helen from The Iliad.
She suffers a pretty terrible death because of the war she started by lying. I could try to think of a way to incorporate this into a retelling.

The Eagle

It’s funny how the brothers suggested the sisters marrying an eagle and a whale because they get swept away by them. I could see the brothers freaking out after this happens.

This story ends abruptly and I am not sure what the point of it was.

Atdlarneq

The fact that he had to keep eating reminded me of a scene from the movie Matilda where one of the kids has to eat a whole chocolate cake as punishment. I will probably retell this story with that movie 

as my inspiration.

Angangujuk

I don’t like how angry his father gets at the mother for losing him. I understand that he’s your son, but you shouldn’t threaten to kill your wife. I don’t really know the point of this story either.

Atarssuaq

I like how the son avenges his father’s death. Overall, I liked the story because of how amazing the son is at diving, but I do not think I will be retelling this story. 

Tungujuluk

I honestly did not like this story because it didn’t really tie the loose ends. Saunikoq tried to kill Tungujuluk’s son but he never even found out. I wanted there to be some intense battle, but instead Tungujuluk basically just played a prank on him.

Kanagssuaq

This story has a really nice ending because the favor is paid back, but I didn’t really like the story as a whole. I do not think I will be retelling this story. 

Bibliography: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part A

(Eskimo boy named Menadblook: University of Washington, Flickr)

The Coming of Men
I really like the opening paragraph. It sets the mood for the rest of the story.
This is an interesting twist on the creation of Earth and mankind. I like how it references Adam and Eve but doesn’t go into detail behind the specifics.
There are many biblical references which surprises me.
This story is like an extremely simplified version of the biblical creation story, but with a lot of different changes of course.
I don’t think I will retell this because I wouldn’t enjoy creating my own creation story.

Nukunguasik
The plot of this story is interesting to me since a Tupilak is kind of like a voodoo doll but different. I could think of different ways to retell this.
I wonder why the middle brother wanted to make a Tupilak to kill Nukunguasik. I could give a background story as to why this was the case in my retelling.

The Woman
This was a really touching story. I thought the bear might get killed after that one guy said he wanted to kill it.
This is a classic plot where someone has an animal that they can’t keep so they have to let it go. I could definitely find a way to retell this in my own style.

Qalanganguase
The first paragraph already makes me feel bad for Qalang. He has no more family which can be extremely tough on a kid. Also, he can’t walk which makes him dependent on other people at least in this situation.
This story kind of reminds me of the movie The Sixth Sense. I could retell it like that since it would fit my writing style.

Isigaligarssik
The wording kind of makes them becoming man and wife weird because it refers to her as a little girl.
I am confused as to why the wizard took his wife. Also, I am confused why he didn’t stop the wizard from taking his wife.
I didn’t really like this story so I won’t be retelling it.

The Insects
I like the comedy at the beginning of this story when it says how all of these stories start with a wifeless man.
I don’t like his wife is just basically a gold digger. I kind of wish he didn’t pick any of the girls that avoided him before he started becoming a good hunter.
Overall, it was an interesting story, but I do not think I will be retelling it.

Makite
I think it is interesting how important it is to be a good hunter in this culture. It makes sense to me, but it would suck to be a bad hunter if you wanted a wife.
Makite is an impulsive, aggressive character which could be good for a retelling.
I don’t know if I understand the point of this story. I like the scene between Makite and the lone-dweller, but the ending was lacking for me.

Atungait

This story was extremely weird to me especially when he forcefully kisses the woman at the end. I’m not going to retell this story.

The Giant Dog

This is such a bizarre story, but I love it. The giant killer dog is so interesting to me. I could see myself retelling this story for sure. 

Bibliography: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).