Chow Hound: Adam Richman, 'Man v. Food'

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HE CALLS HIMSELF an amateur eater, but on Travel Channel's "Man v. Food" (Wed., 10 p.m.), Adam Richman battles daunting dishes like a pro. He goes to one U.S. city per episode, visiting pig-out spots before attempting a chow-down challenge at a restaurant. He's pounded everything from an 11-pound "carnivore" pizza in Atlanta to a sumo-sized bowl of ramen in L.A. On Feb. 3, he'll tape his first live show, a pre-Super Bowl gobble fest in Miami.

» EXPRESS: What's harder: eating a lot of food or eating spicy food?
» RICHMAN: They present completely different issues. There are different levels of hot. A hot wing is not a hot burger is not a hot soup. And with quantity challenges, it's difficult to compare a large sandwich to a large omelet. Sometimes with quantity challenges, you're dealing with overwhelming richness. Sometimes you deal with an inability to chew, like with multiple milk shakes.

» EXPRESS: Aren't carbs tough to gulp, too?
» RICHMAN: Potatoes are the demon. No dissing the beautiful people of Idaho, but the problem is, [when you eat potatoes] whatever residual moisture you have in your stomach expands. Finish a lot of carbs, take two sips of water, and suddenly you're at maximum capacity.

» EXPRESS: What's the best food you've eaten during a challenge?
» RICHMAN: The Kodiak Arrest challenge at Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse was delicious through and through. I loved it because it had variety. It was quantity, but it wasn't quantity of one thing. It was reindeer sausage, green onion mashed potatoes, salmon cakes, Alaskan king crab and cobbler with fresh berries. It was sublime.

» EXPRESS: Anything you've hated eating?
» RICHMAN: In the San Jose episode, there was this Habanero chili sauce you had to leave on your face and fingers for five minutes after you were done eating. I'm pretty sure the Geneva Conventions don't allow that.

» EXPRESS: What would you say is the best food city in the U.S.?
» RICHMAN: I don't want to pick just one. There are cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans that are more established in the food pantheon. So, I'm going to mention what I consider an underrated food city: Austin, Texas. I'd also put Charleston, S.C., in that category.

» EXPRESS: What will you eat during the live challenge in Miami?
» RICHMAN: It'll be at Shula's Steakhouse — they call it the 48-ounce Club because you have to eat 48 ounces of steak. But I'm doing something psychotic: trying to eat it in 20 minutes.

» EXPRESS: Any post pig-out rituals?
» RICHMAN: I need some time, fresh air or to walk around. Sometimes, I just need to be alone. Not in a gross way, though. I love the energy of the challenge, but afterwards, I'm feeling uncomfortable and I just need to find a quiet place to reset.

Photo courtesy Travel Channel