Think you can eat 50 bowls of noodles? What about 100? This week, The Feast explores the tradition of wanko soba from Iwate, Japan, where families and friends compete to see who can slurp the most noodles in a single sitting. But what makes soba, or buckwheat, the preferred noodle for this centuries-old food contest? We'll dig into the celebrated history of food competitions in pre-modern Japan where writers depicted epic battles waged amongst favorite foods. Forget tiger versus shark; what about steamed eggplant versus shrimp tempura? From these early fanciful food battles, we trace a line to modern food manga, an ever-growing Japanese comic book genre that has inspired some of the most popular food shows on television today. Iron Chef, anyone? Join us as we talk about the serious business of noodle-slurping with food scholars Dr. Greg de St. Maurice, Dr. Eric Rath, and Dr. Lori Brau on this history-packed soba seminar.  Cover photo by Takekazu Omi. The Feast is brought to your Care/Of, a new kind of vitamin company. Enter the promo code "FEAST" & receive 50% off your first month's supply of vitamins and supplements. Learn more at www.takecareof.com The Feast is also brought to you by CastBox, the fastest growing podcast app around with over 9 million downloads in just 18 months. Learn more at www.castbox.fm