Gourmet Classics: Japan vs. USA

I wanted to post this as a salute to my Japanese friends/readers.  This blog has been viewed by over 20 countries on 6 continents and Japan ranks second in total views.  They had a devastating earthquake there the other day which sources have ranked between 7.9 and 8.8.  My warmest wishes and thoughts go to the people over there as well as my friends.  This post is for you guys.

One day my friend Josh asked "Dude, do you wanna represent America in an eating competition?"  Of course I accepted since I had to represent America's obese superiority and freak eating skills.  Here was the challenge: A 5-on-5 competition where each challenger has to complete the Lumberjack dish at Lake Murray Cafe in La Mesa, CA.  For a visual of the Lumberjack:

Three eggs, three sausage links, four strips of bacon, three pancakes, and potatoes

So here are the competitors: 

Team Japan vs. Team USA eager to begin the competition

Team USA anticipating the grub

Another shot of the teams

The food arrives and suddenly things get srsly serious

In the end, everyone completed the dish so it was a tie and in actuality there was little competition going on as everyone was just having a good time.  Josh and I were seasoned veterans with the Lumberjack so we had strategy to complete the dish - eat the pancakes last and don't fill up on bread (though their rolls are another story for another post).  

Best wishes to Japan.