I know what you're thinking. "Whoa hold up, there's NO way that somebody could finish that much sushi in less than 10 min!" Don't worry, my friends think the same as well — to be honest, I couldn't believe it myself. I'm known among my friends as an incredibly fast eater (who happens to take mouth-gaping bites of food in one sitting), but I rarely go out for a meal with the intention of testing my eating abilities to its limits. 

That being said, when this sushi showdown happened, I was probably the person most surprised by this feat. Every time I tell the story, it's always a pleasant experience watching people's eyes open wide and their mouths drop down from hearing such a near-impossible feat. Today, I'd like to share this story with you across the computer screen. Hopefully you'll be just as amazed as I was with myself once this story is done. 

1. Last Minute Decision?

Initially, I wasn't even planning on eating at Sushi Junai the night this happened. Life throws some of the weirdest/most interesting things at you when you least expect it, and this was definitely one of those moments. My best friend and I were filming some dance videos outside Whole Foods one night, and we were talking about having a quick bite afterwards at a profit share for one of my other friend's rugby team.

At the last second, however, my friend blurted out, "You know what I want to eat? Sushi." When he says sushi, there's only one place we go — Sushi Junai with its all-you-can-eat option. For a split second I thought, "Shoot, I wish I didn't eat lunch...", but it took less than 30 seconds for me to make up my mind. Little did I know what I was getting myself into, and that I was literally about to destroy myself and hate myself for the next 3 hours post-eating. Such is life. 

2. Samurai Heart

In case you couldn't tell from my name, I'm Japanese. My country has a rich history of samurais ruling the nation; these samurais were known to possess spirits of iron, unfaltering in every step they take and every move they make. Metaphorically, I would like to say I've succeeded when it comes to embodying spirit...at least when it comes to eating food. 

For those that aren't familiar, Junai has an all-you-can-eat system where you pay a set price to eat anything off the menu, whether it's appetizers, salad, nigiri, sushi rolls, etc. The only catch is that you must eat everything you order, and that you are responsible for paying for any amount that you aren't able to finish during that sitting. 

As we enter Junai, I thought to myself, "How high shall I raise the bar for myself tonight?". When we eat at Junai, my best friend and I usually compete against one another on how costly our meals will be (we're THOSE customers). This particular sushi showdown, however, was slightly different. As I ordered my first round of sushi, an idea popped up in my head. 

After ordering, I told my friend that instead of competing against each other that night, I wanted to compete against myself. I asked him to time me to see how long it took me to finish my food. For a second, my friend gave me an "are you serious" look, but agreed to time me. There were many instances in the past where I'd finish my food well before my friends have taken their 3rd bite, but I never once timed myself before. After all, most people usually ask how much one has eaten in a sitting, not how fast one has eaten (it's not like eating with friends is a hot-dog eating contest, right?) This would the be the first time I'd actually understand how fast I eat relative to others. I was super excited because I knew I'd bust out a record that's hard to beat. But heaven knows I definitely did not prepare for what I was actually about to achieve.

3. Sushi Showdown

The fateful moment came. As soon as the first round of sushi rolls started coming out, I told my friend to take out his phone. He took it out, started the timer, and the sushi showdown began. To be blatantly honest, I don't remember how I started downing the sushi. The next thing I know, the first wave of sushi was gone — in 45 seconds. Mind you, the first round had two rolls. Two whole rolls. Yeah, I don't believe myself either.

As the rounds kept coming, I continuously devoured my plates like a voracious hyena scavenging on leftover carcasses. The strange thing was that as I keep on eating I got hungrier. Well, at least until my body finally decides to shut down. All I remember during that frenzy is my friend continuously saying, "...oh my god I hate you so much". But the joy of leaving my friend in utter disbelief was substantial to say the least.

Plate after plate, I sucked the rolls and nigiri down as if they were mere krill to a blue whale's mouth. Before I knew it, I finished 60+ pieces of sushi — in a whopping 9 1/2 min. At this point, my friend was beyond the point of utter disbelief and had gone into a zone of numb indifference. When the waiter came to take away our last plates, he casually commented that I had just finished all this sushi in less than 9 1/2 minutes, as if that was a normal occurrence in our friendship. The waiter just looked at me with his mouth hanging open. The sense of achievement I felt at that moment was unreal. It may sound silly, but you should actually try eating an impossible amount of food in an impossible amount of time. If you manage to accomplish it, you'd be surprised at how the mere act of eating fast can give you irrational boosts of self-esteem.

4. Post Showdown Apocalypse

Needless to say, if you eat that much sushi in such a short amount of time, you will definitely suffer the consequences. The rest of the night was spent curled up in a ball battling my inner (bowel) demons, as I questioned my life and reevaluated my sanity. But do I really regret doing that? Of course not. It was an event that got me "shook", if I may say so (from my brain to my bowels). Will I ever time myself again? Of course. My own worst enemy is myself, and I'm ready to take on the fight anytime again.