I was recently asked a rather unusual ethical question. It concerned eating competitions, such as a pie or hot dog eating competition, and the morality of such events. Questions like these are wonderful exercises which can help us see how the Church might approach an issue which might not at first, even seem like a moral issue to many people. 

 

As is often the case in ethics, answering questions like these is about trying to apply the Church’s moral principles to a specific issue in order to formulate an answer.

 

Regarding the question at hand, there are several initial concerns. Among these would be: the amount of food consumed, participant safety, and the proper use of food. Additionally, one should also look at the basic virtues or vices which may be involved.

 

This year a new world record was set in one of the most famous hot dog eating competitions. The winner, Joey Chestnut, ate 72 hot dogs in 10 minutes. To put that into perspective, it meant he consumed approximately 20,000 calories, or roughly 10 days’ worth of calories in 10 minutes. This immediately raises questions regarding the second consideration, namely the safety of the participants. One need not be a nutritionist to understand that so much food in so short a span is in no way good, let alone safe, for a person to eat. In fact, on this note, each year there are several deaths which occur as a result of eating competitions — often simply from choking. 

 

Finally, looking at the amount of food consumed — not only by one competitor, but in the entire competition, one cannot help but see the tremendous amount of overconsumption and ultimately wasted food — food which is in no way being eaten for nourishment. 

 

As a matter of simple justice, one has to question using so much food in a way which neither supports the health of the participants, nor helps to alleviate the hunger of those in a community who may actually benefit from the food that is being wasted in this way. 

 

Granted, not all eating competitions are so egregious in the sheer amount of food used, nor do all competitors necessarily go to such extremes, nevertheless one should at least question the choice to use such excessive eating as a form of competition or entertainment.

 

Some final considerations revolve around basic virtues and vices which might be involved. After all, the building of virtue and the avoidance of vice is foundational for living a moral life. 

 

Perhaps the two that stand out most clearly here would be the virtue of temperance and it’s opposing vice, gluttony — both of which are habits acquired from our repeated choices. 

 

Temperance of course is about living a life of balance and self-control. In terms of nourishment, it means we are generally watchful to avoid consuming excessive amounts of food or drink. 

 

Gluttony then, is about failing to practice temperance, especially in these areas. Being a gluttonous person means that we habitually choose to eat or drink excessively. It can also mean that we consume food and drink less in terms of nourishment and more as just a form of pleasure or entertainment. 

 

Enjoying eating doesn’t make one gluttonous, nor does having a second helping of something, or a little dessert. Rather, it is more about our overall disposition towards eating and the quantities we normally consume based on our particular needs. 

 

Looking at eating competitions in general, they clearly do not support the building of temperance, instead encouraging gluttonous behavior.

 

Although this is only a general overview, hopefully it gives us some “food for thought” for approaching not only this issue, but other moral questions for which we may not have an immediate answer. 

 

As Christians, our faith must inform all the areas of our lives — including our approach to eating and entertainment — especially when eating becomes a form of entertainment.