POULSBO — Charles Jensen strolled the streets of Little Norway Sunday afternoon with only one thing on his mind: winning the 2006 Viking Fest lutefisk-eating contest.

“I’m one hungry dude, and all I have to do is make it through the first round,” Jensen said as he reflected on his failure to defend his title last year.

Last year, the 2004 champ was eliminated in the lightning round as lutefisk-eating legend Eric Perkins leisurely ate a mere two pounds of the Norwegian delicacy to claim the title.

As Jensen took his seat at the table in the Kvelstad Pavilion, Perkins sat at the other end, waiting to see if his main competition would make it through to the next round.

It didn’t take long as a smiling Jensen was the first to devour the first half pound, followed by Perkins, before newcomer Marv Peterson filled out the final three.

“The fish is good and I’m a little nervous about going against these two,” Peterson said. “I don’t know if I’ll make it through the next round, but we’ll see.”

Peterson not only made it through the next round, he ate his way to just shy of the two-pound mark before throwing in the towel.

“I’m glad I quit when I did because there’s no way I could be up there with those guys,” Peterson said as he waited to see which of the behemoths would quit first.

With the contest down to the two heavyweights, Perkins said the fish had a better taste than last year and made a bold prediction about how much it would take to win the contest.

“Charles is going to go to six, and it’s going to take 6 1/2,” he said. “I’ve been in training for this, does it show?”

Even though he ate the increasingly aromatic lye-soaked cod at more rapid pace than his friendly foe, Jensen said he wasn’t fooled by Perkins’ leisurely pace.

“I’m never going to count him out, because he’s a tough old bird who can really put it down,” Jensen said.

As the pair reached the three-pound mark, Jensen continued his gulping annililation of the half-pound servings, while Perkins narrowly made the five-minute time limit with 30 seconds to spare.

“Thirty seconds is plenty of time,” Perkins said. “I had to do something to create some excitement.”

With the entire Viking Fest court doling out each round’s steaming portions, the trio was then called upon to sample the delicacy in front of the crowd that huddled around the pavilion to see who would take the title.

First, a trepid Miss Viking Fest Jasmine Campbell bit a tasty morsel as she tried to hide her taste-bud terror and princesses Whitney Glebe and Elisabeth Almond followed suit with Glebe reaching for a nearby trash bag to rid herself of the cod.

“I need some water,” Glebe said as her face revealed her true impressions of the delicacy.

“I think they should incorporate that into the pageant somehow,” a jovial Perkins said as he prepared to go another round with a smiling Jensen.

In passing the three-pound mark, Perkins’ pace began to slow as the tension mounted and Jensen appeared to have the upperhand.

“I’m full,” Perkins said.

“We’re both full,” Jensen responded. “But now it comes down to capacity which is something I have plenty of.”

With three and a half pounds eaten, Jensen once again sped through another half pound, but Perkins slow pace came to a crawl and then finally a grinding halt as he could eat no more.

A jubilant Jensen embraced Perkins in a scene that has often been repeated at the contest.

“It feels good, but after last year it feels real good,” Jensen said.

In conceding the title to Jensen, Perkins said he pushed himself as far as he could, but Jensen simply had more capacity.

“It was so good, I just hated to stuff myself until I puked,” Perkins said.