You can feel the playful, mock tension of buddy versus buddy, girlfriend against boyfriend, neighbor besting neighbor as the corn eating contest gets underway at the Four Town Fair held in Somers, 
Connecticut. A small crowd gathers at two long tables where contestants line up in front of paper plates, each with two freshly cooked ears of glistening kernels. John boasts about his prowess. He’s grown up eating corn from a family farm, he brags. Another contestant says he’s been in training since corn began appearing at farm stands in midsummer. A family member rolls her eyes. “Messy and certainly not pretty to watch,” she observes.
Contestants argue over spiral or typewriter technique for clearing the ears. “You just have to bite and chew, bite and chew,” asserts a slender young woman. “When to swallow is a strategic decision.” A dark haired youngster claims white corn is easier and belittles the typewriter technique because it requires taking your mouth off the ears.
Contenders apply butter, salt or pepper, but most have their corn plain. The crowd grows silent as they hover over their plates waiting for the start. Suddenly mouths are hard on the golden cobs with furious chewing, pieces of kernel shrapnel flying. Cheers erupt and members of the crowd shout encouragement to their favorites. Though we all know the event is a just fun and a little goofy, there is a strangely electric excitement. Like starved, wild eyed animals the entrants devour the corn until one and then the other cob is chewed to stubble and dropped on the plate.
When done, contestants raise their hands like
holdup victims and await the judge’s assessment. Speed counts, and so does the amount of corn eaten. But competitors are also evaluated on the cleanliness of their faces, the plate and the table. Decorum means something even among speed eaters.
The fastest time of 54 seconds did not garner top prize. First went to a lanky fellow who typewritered his ears so thoroughly that the cob was squared-off, left more hexagonal than round. As at any athletic contest, there was fist pumping and butt slapping by the winners who not only carried off the glory and a ribbon, but the goodly sum of $7 for first, $5 for second and $3 for third place in adult and child categories.
Of course, the grand prize went to the community of folks who showed up and got to know each other a little better by having a few laughs and leaving with a harvest of memories. Angie, a grandmotherly woman who’s volunteered at the fair for 40 years, looked around her as awards were handed out. “Still a neighborly, country fair,” she remarked approvingly.
