The second annual Ghastly Gourmet competition, a dauntingly disgusting food eating contest, was held at the Osprey Plaza during UNF Market Day Oct. 29.*
“We have nine rounds and ten contestants. Each round we have a different food they have to eat,” Hannah Smith, Student Union marketing coordinator, said.
The contestants had to eat a variety of foods ranging from fish heads to an assortment of bugs. “We have pickled pigs feet, we have dried bugs, fish eyeball soup, haggis, Irish black pudding, sauerkraut juice, trite, and vegemite,” Smith said.
As the contestants lined up along the stage, Shanice Garner, a friend of a UNF student, stood out from the rest as the only woman to brave the grossness.
“It [the contest] was interesting. I didn’t think it was gonna be like that,” Garner said. She was a bit traumatized from the crass cuisine she had to stomach to advance to round four, where she was eliminated.
The winner turned out to be Noah Maldonado, physical therapy freshman, who won in the last round beating out his only remaining component by eating a savory plate of dried bugs.
“I think probably the eyeballs or the vegemite was the worst,” Maldonado said. “I come from a Mexican heritage, we eat anything. Well, not everything.”
Whether students got to carve and decorate pumpkins, or eat pickled pigs feet, Halloween at UNF has been a widely celebrated event.
Gallery Photos by Lacey Wyndham
[doptg id=”59″]*10/30/14- Updated with additional information, added graphic and personal interviews.
Email Rachel Cazares at reporter33@unfspinnaker.com
