Despite being small in size, Mimi Zhang has tackled some of the biggest meals the country has to offer.
She recently told that’s life exactly how she came to be Australia’s top ranked female eater.
Guzzling down the last mouthful of my milkshake,
I could barely contain my excitement.
It had taken just over 10 minutes, but I’d managed to devour not one, but two 2.5-litre milkshakes as part of a food challenge. With the shakes topped with marshmallows, whipped cream and Oreos, I’d consumed over 9000 calories in one sitting!
But it was all part of my quest to become Australia’s top competitive eater.
Working as a make-up artist and model, I’d never even heard of competitive eating until March last year.
I’d just finished my grocery shopping and was headed outside when I could hear a commotion coming from a pancake parlour nearby.
Curious, I peeked inside and discovered the store was hosting their annual pancake eating competition.
Growing up, my mum, Chengze, had always said I was good on the tooth, so I thought I’d give it a go.
Standing at just 154 centimetres and wearing size-8 clothes,
I was up against men almost three times my size, but I didn’t let it dissuade me.
Chomping down one fluffy pancake after another, I polished off 18 in an hour and placed second in the competition.
Afterwards, the winner came to speak to me.
‘You’ve got great talent,’ he said, explaining he was part of Competitive Eating Australia – a company that holds events and challenges all over the country.
Incredibly, just a few days later I was contacted by the organiser, Billy, who convinced me to join the team.
‘I’d love to,’ I beamed.
All I had to do was take part in three official competitions to join.
So, four months later, I travelled to Luna Park in Melbourne to take part in a hot dog eating competition.
With only 10 minutes to eat as many as possible, I was nervous, but determined.
Gobbling them down as fast as possible, I managed to finish 16 and was crowned the winner.
Better still, my place earned me a $400 reward and I’d doubled the previous women’s record!
Now I’d had my first taste of success, it left me hungry for more.
Then in August, I faced off against both men and women at the Brisbane Ekka agricultural show, where I gorged on 15 Dagwood dogs and took home the top prize of $150.
With three competitions completed, I’d finally earned my spot on the leaderboard among Australia’s top eaters.
Since then, I’ve travelled all over the country and even the world, to take on the biggest and best food challenges I can find.
I’ve scoffed down everything from a 1.8-kilo burger to 3.6 kilos of sushi and even demolished a triple-stacked chicken parmigiana challenge topped with fried eggs, bacon and potato gems.
But the biggest meal I’ve conquered was a 5.5-kilo bowl of pho made from one kilo of beef, 800 grams of rice noodles and three litres of broth.
I posed for a picture with the empty bowl, and it was wider than my body!
I’ve also been lucky enough to travel to Canada where I tackled
3.4 kilos of deep-dish pizza topped with a mix of smoked meats.
Wolfing it down in just 30 minutes, I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.
While some competitive eaters will eat a big meal the day before an event to help stretch their stomach, I don’t like to push my body too far.
When I’m not competing,
I stick to a balanced diet of protein such as lean chicken or tofu and a big portion of salad or vegetables.
I also exercise every day to keep my body in shape.
Through competitions, I’ve made some incredible friends, but due to my slim build and gender, people often underestimate me.
In January this year, I was getting ready to go up against a group of burly men to eat the most meat pies and ribs when one of the other contestants scoffed at me.
‘What are you doing here?’ he smirked.
But I had the last laugh after placing first in both challenges and was awarded a year’s supply of ribs!
Better still, all the men I’d beaten were left speechless.
That’ll teach you to doubt me, I giggled.
Now, just over a year after my first competition, I’m the top female competitive eater in Australia and have placed #13 overall.
I’ve since launched my own Youtube channel called MiMi the Mini Monster, where I post videos of different foods I’ve feasted on at home, including five litres of ice cream and 50
hot cross buns.
With more practice, I’m determined to become Australia’s biggest eater!
Mimi’s biggest meals
- 102 pieces of sushi
- 2 x 2.5 litre Oreo and caramel milkshakes topped with marshmallows, Nutella, ice-cream, chocolate sauce, pretzels, whipped cream and a doughnut
- 5.5. kilo pho consisting of one kilo of beef, 800 grams of rice noodles and three litres of broth
- The Bavarian ‘Schnitzelmeister Challenge’ which includes a stack of six chicken schnitzels topped with cheese, ham and Napoli sauce with a side of guacamole, rice, chips and salad.
- 1.8 kilo burger made with 600 grams of beef, bacon, cheddar cheese, barbecue pulled pork, beer battered onion rings, lettuce, tomato, coleslaw, bacon mayonnaise and sweet barbecue sauce with a side of fries.
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