Because, for some sick reason, we're unable to turn away from the story of competitive eater Joey Chestnut downing two gallons of Ben's Chili Bowl chili over the weekend, here's video of an interview with Mr. Chestnut after he won. more ›

There was a hungry horde at Bar Louie in Chinatown yesterday for the bar's 2nd Annual "Rock the Tot" tater tot eating competition. The competitors, some in costume and most rocking tot-themed aliases (Fire Tot, Tiny Tot, Spudley Do-Right and Ace of Tots, just to name a few), ate as many tots as they could stand in a six-minute period, which, it turned out, is a lot more than we imagined possible. Despite bringing along their own sign-toting cheering squads for moral support, many of them looked worse for wear by the end—especially Ace of Tots, who lost his tots just minutes after his heat ended, disqualifying himself. Most of the contestants consumed between one and two pounds of tots, but the winner, James Besser, scoffed at most of them, consuming 2.8 pounds of tots for a new Bar Louie D.C. record. To you, sir, we say ... congratulations? more ›

For some reason, there's a convergence of eating contests tonight. Perhaps it is the work of the nefarious International Federation of Competitive Eating. (Yeah, there is one, and apparently they have safety standards that don't appear to include Lipitor.) First, via the WBJ, there's a tater tot eating contest at Bar Louie in Chinatown ... "contestants will have six minutes to eat as many tater tots as possible. The winner gets a $250 Bar Louie gift card, a tot-tastic trophy, a party in his/her honor, and free tots for a year." 8 to 10 p.m. Next, the Rock and Roll Hotel is hosting a wing eating contest from 9 to 11 p.m., featuring a regular wing contest and a hot hot hot wing eating contest, with prizes ranging from $50-$100. $10 gets you all you can eat wings, plus $2 PBRs during the contest. Go for the spectacle, we suppose, but if you think you might want to compete, here's a few tips for competitive eating. more ›

Cameras Receive Mixed Reviews: Over the weekend the first four of 48 planned surveillance cameras went live in the District, promising to help police handle an on-going crime emergency. But how useful might they be? Not very, according to the Washington Times. Officials in other cities that implemented the cameras argue that they don't do much in helping stop crime, an experience that proven in our northern-most suburb, Baltimore: Baltimore, for example, set up... more ›

Welcome back, Washington. We hope you had a Turkey Day filled with food, family, and football triumphs. Now it's back to work, maggot! Hey, at least it'll be warm: today is likely to be rainy, but will have temperatures in the sixties. That's not bad for being on the cold side of Thanksgiving.

Annapolis Fire Destroys Building, Costs Millions: The weekend's big news was the blaze that tore through Annapolis's historic district. No one was injured, but the front of a jewelry store had to be demolished due to structural instability resulting from the fire. The Candy Factory and Main Street Ice Cream were also seriously damaged by the five-alarm fire. A fourth business, A.L. Goodies General Store, suffered smoke damage but remains open, according to the Post.

Post Exposes Wasteful City Spending: Sunday's Washington Post included a must-read article on the D.C. government's use of loopholes to avoid the bidding process on city contracts. Nearly a fifth of last year's expenditures went to unauthorized and no-bid contracts. As a result, $50 million went to waste. City CFO Natwar Gandhi says that the District's financial system is so broken that he has no choice but to cut checks for unauthorized expenditures. Mayor Williams — the man commonly credited with returning the city to fiscal health and discipline — declined to comment for the story.

Black Widow Strikes Again: Alexandria's own Sonya Thomas — aka "The Black Widow" — has another competitive eating title to place under her surprisingly small belt. On Wednesday Thomas consumed 4 pounds, 3.1 ounces of turkey in a New York competition. That's nearly five percent of her body weight. She walked away with first prize and $2500 for the feat.

Only 27 Shopping Days Left: The District's ten-day sales tax holiday began last Friday and lasts until December 4 (that'd be, uhh ... Sunday!). Don't forget to take advantage of the tax-free period. Also worth noting: today is "Cyber Monday." We suspect that this stupidly-named occasion is the invention of some uninspired ad agencies rather than an authentic retail phenomenon that suddenly sprung, fully-formed, from the great god of consumerism's forehead. But who cares where it came from — we need marginally cheaper consumer electronics, and we need them now! We didn't dare brave the malls on Friday; constantly refreshing our favorite bargain sites sounds like a better alternative.

Briefly Noted: Amber Alert issued... Couple charged with Montgomery County bank robbery... Woman's death on elevator leads to calls for improved regulation... Teen dies after Oak Hill brawl... Fire in SE appears to be homicide cover-up... Six youths arrested at Fort Totten Metro station... Baseball hearing set for today... WUSA: this is just sad...

Image posted to DCist Photos by dcJohn