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The saltine cracker challenge or simply the saltine challenge is a food challenge or competition in which a person has 60 seconds in which to eat six saltines (also known as soda crackers), without drinking anything; all the crumbs must be eaten. Although the challenge may sound trivial, it is actually very difficult, because the crackers quickly exhaust the saliva in the mouth. Even though six saltines can fit in one's mouth at the same time, and a minute is plenty of time to chew, the resulting mass of crumbs is too difficult to swallow with a dry mouth. ==The individual challenge== The challenge is generally given as eating six saltines in a single minute, although the target is sometimes set at five or seven. Most people are able to eat at least two saltines without water, although patients affected by Sjögren's syndrome lack the saliva necessary for even this many. Doctors may use this test, the "cracker test" or "cracker sign", to help diagnose the disorder. A 1996 AP story used the challenge to illustrate the competitive nature and persistence of the Tennessee Volunteers' quarterback at the time, Peyton Manning. Having been bet that he could not eat six saltines, Manning attempted them one by one and failed; trying again, he stacked them on top of each other and succeeded. His roommate concluded, "Even something that was a joke, he was out to prove he can do it. He can eat six saltine crackers, and he did. He works out techniques he can do on everything." Before the 2001–2002 season, Penn State Lady Lions basketball coach Rene Portland's cracker-eating ability helped her land star players Tanisha Wright and Jessica Calamusso. During a recruiting trip, the high schoolers' Amateur Athletic Union coach mentioned the cracker challenge; Wright failed but Portland succeeded. Portland did not reveal her technique, but she did comment on the competitive drive: "Obviously, there's a competitor in an old coach to say that 'I can do this.' If I can do childbirth three times, six crackers can't be that hard." Other athletes connected with the challenge include baseball coach Brad Fischer and Derek Jeter; a photographer challenged by Jeter observed, "Being competitive has become his way to relax." The challenge has been televised on morning news talk shows. In a 2001 ''The Early Show'' episode, Tom Bergeron took a bet that he could not eat four saltines in a minute, and after attempting them all at once, he lost $40. Jane Clayson asked the staff member who had started the bet how she knew the challenge, to which she replied, "College."〔 See also the buildup: See also the followup: 〕 Indeed, several college newspapers have noted the phenomenon on campus.〔 In a July 2008 episode of ''Good Morning America'', Ted Allen revealed that the ''Food Detectives'' techs were unable to eat six saltines in a minute. All four anchors then tried it themselves, and failed. Weather anchor Sam Champion compared the moisture absorption with lake-effect snow. Allen allowed his contestants to eat the crackers in any order, even crushed up, but when Chris Cuomo wanted to "load up with water" beforehand, Allen disallowed the tactic, considering it to unfairly bypass the central problem of the challenge. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Saltine cracker challenge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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