THUNDER BAY – There’s a new persian-eating champ on the block in Thunder Bay, disrupting years of dominance by two local kings of the competition.
Nelson Lindstone bested reigning champion Thomas Currie in a contest that came down to a matter of crumbs on Saturday.
Currie was a favourite to defend his title in the sixth annual Canada Day persian-eating contest put on by the Red Lion Smokehouse, after winning three straight.
Competitors are tasked with devouring 10 of the iconic confections in 10 minutes – a feat that's been achieved only once, by two-time champion Stan Alto, though some have since come achingly close.
That was the case on Saturday, when Lindstone and Currie each finished nine persians and change – something Lindstone managed to do with no previous competitive eating experience.
Like any hard-fought victory, his wasn’t without moments of self-doubt. Late in the competition, it appeared Currie had the win in his grasp as Lindstone was losing steam.
“When I got to eight, I thought, I don’t know if I can do it,” he said. “Then I took a couple of sips of water and was like, ‘I’m okay.’”
When the 10 minutes was up, the margin was so close Red Lion staff brought out a kitchen scale to determine the winner, with Lindstone edging the defending champ by just a few grams.
Underlining the deceptive difficulty of the contest, most of their competitors finished with several persians left untouched.
After all was said and done, Currie wasn’t lamenting the loss of his crown; On the contrary, he said he was “quite pleased” at the challenge from a new and worthy competitor, after trading wins with former champion Stan Alto since the contest originated.
He said “the atmosphere, the people, and the confection itself” keep him coming back.
The sweet fried buns topped with pink icing were invented in the 1940s by local Bennett's Bakery, and have since become a widely-recognized symbol of Thunder Bay.
Win or lose, Currie said he’s content to know he’s left his mark on the contest with a tough-to-match run of victories and his patented “sandwich technique,” which has been widely emulated by other competitors.
“I’ve started a movement,” he joked.
Lindstone reported finishing his first contest remarkably intact.
“I’m actually okay, I was surprised,” he said. “I thought I’d feel more sick.”
“I just paced myself, one at a time. The sandwich technique seemed a little much – I thought about it, but I was like, nah.”
Lindstone called the intense crowd reaction one of the highlights of the experience, with his grandchildren present to cheer him on, and his son-in-law one of several competitors he left in the proverbial dust.
And in perhaps the clearest sign of his persian-eating prowess, Lindstone said he was still enjoying the confections until around the sixth one.
He added the experience hasn’t put him off persians, saying he’s confident he’ll continue eating and enjoying them.
Asked how the competition has changed his relationship to the treat, Currie agreed.
“Not even in the slightest,” he said. “Nothing in this world could ruin me for persians.”
Lindstone vowed to return to defend his title next year. That’s unlikely to be a cakewalk, with Currie also likely to return.
“I’ve got to try to get my title back,” he said.
