I did an eating contest (wasn’t Taco Bell but similar)
24 is the answer (I won but in reality I lost)
I cannot hear a Taco Bell reference without thinking of my own Taco Bell eating competition entry. It was at a Saint Paul Saints minor league baseball game several years ago. I was asked on my way into the stadium if I wanted to take part in a taco eating competition on the field between innings. I figured it would save me some money on consessions since I would be eating a bunch of food, so I jumped at the chance.
At the appointed time, I found my way down to the meeting spot, and waited for them to bring us onto the field. I didn't really chat with the two other contestants, but based on their size I thought I was in trouble. They brought us out and sat us in chairs at a folding table, and put a pile of tacos in front of each of us. I'm guessing we each at 10 in front of us, and they had bags more at the ready to distribute if we got through our first batch. I was feeling a little intimidated, as that was a lot of tacos, and I didn't know how much time we had. They started reading the rules, and I found out I had a mere 2 minutes to eat the tacos. Doing some quick math, I figured I had roughly 10 seconds per taco to finish the pile in the two minutes. I had been eating Taco Bell regularly since high school, so I knew a softshell if I wasn't in a rush was only 3 bites (four if they were nice and full). I figured this was a race, so I was going to have to try to do it in two bites per taco.
They shout go and I shove the first taco in my mouth, biting it right in the middle to start the first half. I start chewing and realize that much food does not get chewed up as fast when you are loaded up like a chipmonk, so I chew and grind and try to get some swallowed down as I go.
Now, I've watched the 4th of July hot dog eating competition to know the pros shove some more in before they get everything swallowed so I figure that will work for me. With half a mouthful still unchewed, I shove the other half into my mouth. I now have 3/4 of a taco in my mouth, and can't really chew any of it. It is at this point I look to my competition. The woman, who reminded me of Large Marge from the Pee Wee Herman movie was nibbling at her taco like it was tea and crumpets. Looking at me, hunched over my pile of tacos Guy Fierri style, she simply states "I don't really like tacos, I'm just here to be on the field." She doesn't have any empty wrappers, so I know she's on her first one. I write her off as competition.
I turn to the guy, who is younger than me, probably mid 20s, and looks like he could have played O line at a DIII school. I'm sure this guy swallows tacos whole, but he's on his first one too. "I ate a lot when I got to the ballpark, so I'm not really hungry." He says this is a condesincing tone, looking at me pitifully. It seems he is saying it so I can ease up and just cruise to an easy victory. I am insulted by his tone, and want to earn this victory.
Unfortunately, with a mouth full of food, some of it not entirely inside of my mouth, I get hit by a fit of coughing. Cheese, lettuce, and imitation beef product start spraying out of my mouth. I of course don't want to cough all over these good people so I try to cough down in front of me as best I can. Of course down in front of me is the next taco I am about to eat. I know at some point they had announced how much time was left, but between trying to stop my coughing, and looking at my next taco covered in half chewed, well, tacos, I don't know what they said. I know I had to put a little distance between me and the guy so I shove another half taco in my mouth and start chewing (some of it for the second time).
Shortly after I do that, they call time. Competition over, and I WON! Yes, I won by consuming a whole 1 1/2 tacos. Oh, the pride I felt swelling inside of me. Whoops, false alarm, it was not pride it was another coughing fit. I pick up my empty wrapper to cough in to as the cute little between inning chica announces me as victor and hands me my certificate worth a WHOLE YEARS WORTH OF TACOS!!! Oh joy, I think, I will be eating Taco Bell so often I might even get sick of it! Oh, the irony since I could never get sick of Taco Bell!
Afterwards, I clean myself up and make my way back to the people I came to the game with. I proudly pull out my certificate and look at it closer. The "years supply of tacos" amounted to 12 free tacos. Yes, a years supply amounted to one taco a month.