It's Super Bowl Time Again

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Feb 03, 2006 at 09:55 AM
It's Super Bowl time again, and we all know what that means: 392 hours of pre-game hype and hysteria on 27 different channels, "analysts" and pundits trying to out-do each other in the overzealous hyperbole department, heartwarming stories about how the backup punter's girlfriend's dog overcame heartworm, and the inevitable blitz of who's who in Hollywood wearing whichever team's colors tend to be more stylish this year. Then, of course, there are the commercials. The Super Bowl is famous for its zany, over-the-top and really firkin' overpriced commercials. Some companies spend millions on a commercial that will only ever be run once. In a not-unfamilar role as prescient trend-setter, Apple got the ball rolling with their famous "1984" ad. Other copycats followed suit, of course. Among the better-known Super Bowl commercials were the Dan Quayle Lays commercial, the Reebok Terry Tate commercial and a whole slew of now-defunct dot coms who blew their entire investment capital budged on 30 seconds of competition with Budweiser for your attention span. But that's not what the Super Bowl is really all about. Noted football analyst and former Super Bowl-winning coach John Madden knows what the heart and soul of the Super Bowl really is: the food. He's even written a cookbook! Now, understand that it's not just about any old food: like Thanksgiving, there are rules. These rules will generally vary from house to house, but some things are universal: First, if the words "reduced fat", "healthy" or "South Beach diet" have even crossed your mind in the planning of your party, step out of the kitchen. Now. The ONLY excuse for having a veggie platter is if you treat veggies like any other deep-fried food and accompany them with LOTS of sour cream or guacamole-based dip. You have to have a nice assortment of good-tasting junk foods with all the trimmings. Chips and dip are a perennial favorite. Tortilla chips and salsa are also appropriate. Some people will go upscale and get a cheese ball. After that, though, what you do is really based on region and what you like. If the weather supports it, smoked pork chops or ribs are always winners. In northern climes, barbeque beef or pork is good, as is chili. Fried chicken, pizza and/or buffalo wings are also acceptable. I've also seen subs, but if you go that route, make sure you get the really, really big overstuffed one. Understand that the Super Bowl is a special event that comes but once a year and which will be talked about for months or even years to come, so you have to pull out all the culinary stops here. Do you really want the same Domino's Pizza you've been ordering when the games were on Sunday afternoons (and you were at a LAN party?) I didn't think so. My Super Bowl party is going to be a rather intimate affair with a limited spread: homemade chili, homemade tortilla chips, a cheese ball, some crackers and chips with homemade dip. There will be both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages of choice on hand, of course. I'll probably also set out some good chocolate. There was some debate as to whether to make the homemade chili cheese chip dip, but it was decided that with the chili, the chili cheese dip would be too much. With a larger group, I'd have gone ahead with it. Last year, I think we had a shrimp tray and cocktail wieners. The possibilities are endless, but the important thing is that you eat and eat well. After all, that's what the Super Bowl is all about.
Last Updated ( Feb 15, 2006 at 09:48 AM )

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