Krystal competition leaves bad taste

If you are reading this for instant gratification then I'll oblige and tell you Takeru Kobiyashi won the Krystal Square Off eating competition Sunday. He shoved 70 of the little burgers down his gullet at Ross's Landing in a show of gluttony in the so-called sport of competitive eating.

I wish I could say I saw the competition and got a warm, fuzzy feeling of hometown pride to have Krystal host its world eating championships in the scenic city, but I did not, and at that point the only feeling Krystal was getting from me was the cold shoulder.

The Square Off was slated to be held from noon until 3 p.m., with the implied promise that free Krystals, drinks and other giveaways were to be had.

When I arrived a little over an hour after the Square Off began, three power tripping volunteers for Krystal gleefully informed me they had stopped serving Krystals and refused to let me join the line for the event.

I had been waiting two weeks for this and taken off work to attend.

Not only that, but there were none of the giveaways promised by Krystal. In a search for small, free burgers and drinks, all I could find were free noise makers, foam fingers and a blow up slide for children.

The lack of follow through with this event was evidenced by the small crowd concentrated near the stage waiting for the main eating event to commence.

The betrayal I felt was so much that I left the event and decided to find fun for my Sunday somewhere else.

I can proudly say that Downtown Chattanooga did not disappoint.

I had a delicious and filling lunch at Mellow Mushroom while sitting on the patio and enjoying the weather and irked and nauseous facial expressions of the Krystal Square Off attendees passing the restaurant as they left the event.

From there I visited the Tennessee Aquarium where there were no crowds and all the animals were up for putting on a show.

The penguins were diving and jumping out of the water and I got to pet a stingray as well as a sturgeon. The renovations to the Ocean Journey part of the Tennessee Aquarium as well as the River Journey section brought a bit of new to an old favorite.

The Aquarium has become such a staple in many students lives that it is often overlooked. It may not compare to Atlanta's larger version, the sight of peaceful animals can serve as a good distraction fromt he downtown bar scene.

As the Krystal Square Off crowd went home, possibly shocked out of eating anything small and square for months, I was enjoying the more serene sights of Chattanooga.

Another bonus was that about 10,000 Chattanooga citizens were drawn away from downtown by the Komen Race for the Cure.

I could not complain about having the city nearly to myself for a short while.

Things like the aquarium, Coolidge Park and the riverfront should not be overlooked when searching Chattanooga for fun.

Visiting mistakenly thought boring and old hat attractions in Downtown Chattanooga, brought a change to my mood so much that I decided to forgive Krystal and eat at one of their locations later that night. Luckily, for Krystal their home base city has their back.