Students Jon Gustavson, left, and Stephanie Solomon flank Tony the Tiger at the cereal-eating contest in Jansen's on March 9. The students tied for first place,
eating nine bowls of cereal each and winning new bicycles from Kellogg's.
By Dennis Shin '96
With the time clock set, 10 students grabbed their spoons, selected their cereal of choice and chowed down on the morning of March 9 in Jansen's Dining Hall at Noyes Community Center on West Campus.
This was no ordinary breakfast. This was war.
A crowd of on-lookers cheered as the finalists of Cornell's first official cereal-eating contest raced through bowl after bowl of either Rice Krispies or Frosted Flakes. Sponsored by Jansen's and Kellogg Co., the cereal maker, the competition challenged students to eat as many bowls as possible within the three-minute time limit.
Finishing nine bowls each, John Gustavson '97 and Stephanie Solomon '99 tied for first place. The champions each won a mountain bike, and runner-up Pierre Aoulcar '99 received a Tony-the-Tiger denim jacket.
With her "coach" and members of the novice women's crew team cheering her on, Solomon chomped through nine bowls with athletic dexterity. Afterward, the champion said there is a definite strategy to "rapid cereal consumption."
"You don't breathe and you don't chew. You just swallow," Solomon said. "I chose Frosted Flakes because they are easier to scoop out of the bowl than Rice Krispies, which fill the bowl more."
Her co-champion, Gustavson, said he and a friend saw a sign for the contest in Jansen's one morning and they thought it would be a fun challenge.
"I'm a naturally fast eater, so I knew I had a chance," he said. As opposed to Solomon, Gustavson opted for Rice Krispies because, he said, he finds them lighter on the stomach.
After a preliminary competition, held on campus on Feb. 10, the finalists were selected to compete for Saturday's grand prize.
Linette Fleckenstein, the supervisor at Jansen's who coordinated the contest with Kellogg's, said Solomon and Gustavson set a new record for Kellogg's-sponsored events. Contestants at cereal-eating contests on other college campuses had eaten only up to seven and a half bowls within the three-minute time limit.
"I thought it would be a fun idea to have something like this for the students," said Fleckenstein. "It's great to have something out of the ordinary once in a while."
Besides holding this event again next year, Fleckenstein plans to organize other special promotional events that involve students.
It might be a while, however, before the champions of this contest enter another speed-eating tournament.
"I'm kind of staying away from cereal for a while, but I'm sure I'll start craving it again soon," Solomon said. "I never thought I'd be notorious for something like this."