Graphic by Max Weinstein
Romaine calm and lettuce begin at the start. In 2016, a Tumblr post from a student at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics went viral. The post was a picture of students crowded around a small table destroying heads of iceberg lettuce. The caption read, “You know you’re messed up when you're looking forward to joining a lettuce club.”
That photo was just the tip of the iceberg. The silly concept appealed to young adults across America, and other schools were inspired to start up their own lettuce clubs. The University of Maryland, University of South Carolina, University of Minnesota and McGill University quickly began to host lettuce-eating competitions of their own. However, none of these schools do it quite like Syracuse University.
SU’s Lettuce Club is hosting its second annual lettuce-eating competition on Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. in the Shemin Auditorium. The competition doubles as a fundraiser for the Coach Mac Food Pantry at Hendricks Chapel which began in 2013 as a way to aid ESF and SU students struggling with food insecurity. All students are able to get free food or personal care items with their student ID.
All participants in the Lettuce Club’s main event must donate at least $5 to compete. Spectators are welcome, but are also required to donate. Last year’s competition raised almost $1,000 in under two hours.
SU senior and Lettuce Club President Owen Wilson says he was surprised by how supportive and enthusiastic students and staff were about the idea of a campus-wide lettuce eating competition.
“The support from the school has been the most surprising thing,” said Wilson. “When we initially pitched it, I wasn't really sure how they were going to react to it, but everyone was super on board.”
The idea for the club began during Wilson’s freshman year when he and his friends were eating dinner and watched as a student walked by with a plate overflowing with lettuce. He and his friends joked about it for a bit, until Wilson told them about how one of the colleges he toured before choosing SU had a lettuce club. Wilson then suggested they should start one on campus, and his friends agreed.
“It started out as a fun little idea with my friends, and eventually it became this big thing that a lot of people are excited about,” said Wilson. “I’m really proud of what it’s become.”
The club provides the lettuce but follows a B.Y.O.D. (bring your own dressing) policy. Many of the competitors use this as a strategy.
“We definitely see a lot of ranch,” said Wilson. “Personally, I like to just do it with nothing else on there.”
The winner of the club’s competition is the individual who can eat an entire head of lettuce the quickest. They are awarded a free T-shirt and dubbed the “head lettuce.” Of course, the winner also receives bragging rights.
“Our goal is to raise even more money this time around. But it was super fun last year, and I think it'll be super fun again this year,” said Wilson.