Everyone knows the age-old adage "you are what you eat." For Jordan Rothman '09, that translates into a healthy mixture of beef, water, garlic, sugar, pepper and ground mustard packed tightly in casing. For the second year in a row, Rothman was crowned the hot dog eating champion of Brandeis, consuming 12 and 1/2 hot dogs in ten minutes Wednesday during the hot dog contest at Sherman Dining Hall, easily defeating seven other contestants.

The six-foot-nine Rothman was rewarded with a $50 Best Buy gift card for his victory.

Rothman's unique eating capacity may in fact be genetic. his brother Seth, took top prize at the Hooter's Wing-Eating Championships in South Florida.

"Competitive eating runs in my family," Rothman said.

The event was the first of Sherman's traditional series of eating competitions during the academic year, with contests ranging from hot dogs to cereal to watermelons to matzo balls, creating Brandeis' own realm of competitive eating, a growing trend in the sports world.

"[These contests] build spirit," Sherman manager Matt Pierce said. "It brings kids together and everybody's watching. It simply attracts people to come down to Sherman."

The Sherman staff prepared 140 standard-sized all-beef kosher hotdogs for the eight participants Wednesday. The goal was to consume as many dogs and buns as possible in 10 minutes.

Jacob Kamaras '08, who is also the sports editor of the Justice, placed second by finishing ten hot dogs, joining Rothman as the only two contestants to reach double digits. Mike Morse '10, came in third with nine hot dogs.

The 31 and 1/2 combined hot dogs eaten by the top three students was still more than 20 shy of the world record held by Japan's Takeru Kobayashi, who downed 53 and 3/4 frankfurters in 12 minutes at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog contest held annually at Coney Island in New York.

An energetic crowd of nearly fifty people gathered around the table to cheer on the contestants Wednesday. Rothman was a fan favorite, with the applause mounting for each additional hot dog he ate.

Belts were loosened and deep breaths were taken before the contest began. Some contestants were zoned in, never looking up at the crowd. Others were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food placed in front of them and had a much more laid-back approach.

"I ate two dogs at a time," Rothman, who also dipped the buns in water before consuming them, a tactic employed by many professionals, said. "Eating the buns was much easier [than eating the hot dogs] because the smell of the dog is distinct. The smell of the buns is not as distinct."

All participants had a noticeable drop off in consumption after the halfway mark. Even Rothman wolfed down his first ten hot dogs in the opening five minutes of the contest, but struggled to finish his last two-and-a half hot dogs. The crowd took a collective step back, looking to avoid getting a taste of the contestants' dinner. Luckily for them, there were no reports of regurgitation.

"After the first five minutes I didn't even feel full," Rothman said. "I felt really strong through the first ten hot dogs. But then the smell of the dog got to me. It was nauseating and made me gag. I was close to throwing up."

Rothman said he hopes for a three-peat at the next Brandeis hot dog competition. His goal is to eventually be able to consume 19 and 1/2 hot dogs.

The next eating competition at Sherman will be a pie-eating contest Oct. 17. A cereal-eating contest will also be held on Nov. 28.