The Super Bowl is coming! The culmination of a season of "any given Sundays," this year's matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks pits childhood me against adulthood me. I grew up in New England and most of my family still lives there and all of them still root for the home team. But I have spent the majority of my post-college years in Seattle. It is where my children were born and is the place that I consider "home." So our house is a Seahawks house.
Americans watch the Super Bowl. Even if they don't follow football or have a favorite team, most will watch this one game each year. And many will attend a party to share the experience with friends or family. I have many memories of Super Bowl parties from my childhood. I recall years of games gathered in our home or the home of a friend or family member with adults and kids watching the game....or sometimes an episodes of the Simpson's between quarters.... in every room. The Pats never played on Super Bowl Sunday during those years. I don't remember who did. But we always watched. With friends and family. And we ate.
Last year the Seahawks had an storybook season that culminated with their winning Super Bowl XLVIII. It was also the first year of my kids' lives that we lived somewhere other than Seattle. For me, it was a melancholy experience, in many ways, to be away from home while our city celebrated. But being in Canada and watching their home team win games all season bringing the Lombardi trophy to Seattle turned out to be a great way for our kids to connect with something that is intrinsically American. And it was much more personal for them to connect with the Seahawks, their home and the place where their friends and family were cheering along.
I've spent this week brainstorming foods to prepare for the big game this weekend. There is a whole category of recipes that could be classified as "Super Bowl Foods." Dishes that don't need to be served piping hot or can be kept warm in a crock pot. Foods that can be eaten from a plate on a lap or while standing at the counter. And, admittedly, few of them are what should reasonably be considered healthy. But they are comforting and they tie themselves to the experience of watching the game with friends and family. It's the experience of eating all day, coming back for extra helpings or just one more bite. The Super Bowl is a ritual as much as it is a football game. One more example of the way that food, when shared, becomes something Super.
Go Hawks!!
Americans watch the Super Bowl. Even if they don't follow football or have a favorite team, most will watch this one game each year. And many will attend a party to share the experience with friends or family. I have many memories of Super Bowl parties from my childhood. I recall years of games gathered in our home or the home of a friend or family member with adults and kids watching the game....or sometimes an episodes of the Simpson's between quarters.... in every room. The Pats never played on Super Bowl Sunday during those years. I don't remember who did. But we always watched. With friends and family. And we ate.
Last year the Seahawks had an storybook season that culminated with their winning Super Bowl XLVIII. It was also the first year of my kids' lives that we lived somewhere other than Seattle. For me, it was a melancholy experience, in many ways, to be away from home while our city celebrated. But being in Canada and watching their home team win games all season bringing the Lombardi trophy to Seattle turned out to be a great way for our kids to connect with something that is intrinsically American. And it was much more personal for them to connect with the Seahawks, their home and the place where their friends and family were cheering along.
I've spent this week brainstorming foods to prepare for the big game this weekend. There is a whole category of recipes that could be classified as "Super Bowl Foods." Dishes that don't need to be served piping hot or can be kept warm in a crock pot. Foods that can be eaten from a plate on a lap or while standing at the counter. And, admittedly, few of them are what should reasonably be considered healthy. But they are comforting and they tie themselves to the experience of watching the game with friends and family. It's the experience of eating all day, coming back for extra helpings or just one more bite. The Super Bowl is a ritual as much as it is a football game. One more example of the way that food, when shared, becomes something Super.
Go Hawks!!