(Credit: Collin Richie)

Adrian Morgan is one of the hottest names in professional eating right now. In just over a year of Major League Eating competition, Morgan has chomped and chewed his way toward the top of the MLE rankings faster than Pac-Man on dextroamphetamines.

But balancing a full load of culinary classes, a busy work schedule, and a stomach full of hot dogs and water-soaked buns can be difficult. Due to time constraints, Adrian could only conduct an interview over the Internet – which turned out to be fine by me, because I led with a question I’m fairly certain no interviewee has ever considered.

DIG: If you were an emoticon, what would you look like?

AM: :V. My nickname in culinary school is actually Pac-Man.

DIG: So it sounds like you’re a natural when it comes to competitive eating. Is that how you started?

AM: I guess it all stemmed from “Man vs. Food.” I decided to go see how many oysters I could eat at ACME in Baton Rouge after I saw Adam Richman try the 15 dozen challenge. I ended up eating 23 dozen in about 20 minutes. I was pretty shocked how well I did, so I started doing other restaurant challenges around BR. This was during the fall of 2009. I was eating impressive amounts of food, so I figured I’d try out a contest to see how I’d do. Luckily, there was the Peanut Butter and Banana contest in Biloxi in January 2010. It was close, so I signed up.

DIG: What’s the best part of your “hobby?”

I just love to travel. Eating gives me a reason to go places. Also, it has allowed me to make contacts with other people with crazy eating habits. It’s kind of like being a part of a specialty fraternity.

DIG: Any standout memories thus far in your career?

AM: I’d have to say my favorite memory was the gyro contest in Houston last year. It was the first time I got to hang out with everyone after the contest. It was interesting to see what guys like Pat Bertoletti and Joey Chestnut were like in person. Plus, the gyros were by far the best tasting contest food I’ve had.

DIG: Does competition take the enjoyment out of eating?

AM: During the contests it’s definitely less enjoyable. So much concentration is used on swallowing and breathing and just keeping tabs on other eaters’ paces that taste gets kind of lost in the shuffle. The good thing is, the contests only last about 10 minutes, so there’s plenty of time after to go get some food to enjoy.

DIG: How far ahead of a contest do you start training?

AM: Actually, I’m in constant training. I eat large amounts of food in one sitting a few times a week to condition my stomach to handle a large volume of food. Usually, I’ll use vegetables or fruit to keep the calorie consumption to a minimum. I work out at the gym about 4-5 times per week too. 

DIG: What about long-term career goals?

AM: I’m in culinary school at the moment. So, I’d like to prepare food for a living, while I eat competitively as a hobby. I plan on eating for a while I guess, until it isn’t fun anymore, or there’s something that might inhibit me from doing it. Hopefully, I’ll be around for a while though.

DIG: What’s on your plate for this year? (I’m sorry, but the AP Stylebook mandates journalists have a borderline erotic affinity for puns, I think.) [Editor’s Note: There is no such mandate.]

AM: April 9th is when the madness starts in New Orleans at the French Quarter Festival eating crawfish, and then April 16th at the Stockton Asparagus Festival in California, we’ll be eating deep-fried asparagus. Then, Nathan’s qualifiers start the end of May and run through June. I’m ready to push for a spot at the table on Coney Island. After coming so close to competing last year, I’m confident I can break the barrier this year.

DIG: I’ll finish with the question on everyone’s mind: have you ever taken performance enhancing drugs?

AM: No, why; do you know of any? ;)