Mollusk madness
On Sunday, some 60-odd hungry folks will hit Peter’s Clam House in Island Park, LI, for the restaurant’s fourth annual clam-eating contest.
At least they’ll be guzzling for a cause: raising money for Nassau County Firefighters Operation Wounded Warrior.
Competition for chomping down cherrystones and littlenecks is fierce, Hempstead Councilman Anthony D’Esposito tells The Post, “Guys frequent Peter’s in the weeks ahead to get their taste buds in order. Some fast from Saturday to Sunday morning . . . And I can’t give too many details, but there are definitely some side bets going on.”
There are two separate matches, with three heats each. The first, at 1 p.m., is for firefighters only, but anyone with 20 bucks to spare can eat themselves sick at the 2:30 p.m. showdown.
The record to beat, D’Esposito says, is “a couple over 13 dozen” clams.
Expect things to get messy. “We have to hose everything down afterward — even the people,” says restaurant owner Butch Yamali.
But if you want to try, you’ll be coached by the best: Competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi, of Nathan’s hotdog fame, will give an on-site demo at around 1 p.m.
Kobayashi’s been known to scarf upward of 60 bunless dogs in two minutes — the same time it takes him to quaff eight dozen clams. (And no, he’s yet to eat a hot dog topped with diced clams.)
His advice: Drink water as you go, don’t chew and “try not to smell them.” Sunday, 1 p.m. Peter’s Clam House, 600 Long Beach Road, Island Park, LI; 516-432-0505 — Rebecca Santiago