The Symbolism of Competitive Eating as American Culture

There's nothing obviously patriotic about scarfing down as many hot dogs as you can in ten minutes. So how did competitive eating become so synonymous with the holiday celebrating the Fourth of July?

To find out, host Scott Detrow visits a hot dog eating contest in Washington, D.C.

And producer Matt Ozug unpacks the evolution of eating as a sport, from a 17th century farmer to today's televised competitions.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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