Coffee and Steel

When I was in college, the dorm cafeteria would set the Super Bowl Sunday meal based on which two teams were in the game. For example, my freshman year we had Green Bay vs. New England in Super Bowl XXXI. So for Green Bay, the cafeteria served brats that had been boiled in beer and sauerkraut. For New England, they served New England style clam chowder. People who know me would immediately tell you that I must have eaten the brats as soup and I don’t get along. Super Bowl XXXII had Green Bay and Denver, so while the brats came back, the adjoining meal was Denver omelets. I’d never heard of them either so I stuck with the brats. I don’t remember what was offered for Atlanta during Super Bowl XXXIII but I must have had it since the alternative was the Denver omelets again. My senior year it was St. Louis vs. Tennessee and I didn’t get to see the menu as I was attending a Super Bowl party and we just ordered pizza.

Reminiscing on all this made me think as to what you would offer to eat for the current Super Bowl contenders. For Seattle, I was thinking something along the lines of salmon, whether smoked or grilled. Of course you would have to supplement it with some flavored coffees, but that would be up to the individual. My problem is that I can’t quite think of anything good to represent Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh’s primary representation has always been steel and a very blue-collar city. A singular cuisine has not necessarily been their forte. So I forced to regress back to something like lunch-pail food such as subs. Nothing big like a pohboy, but more like a simple sub. If anyone can think of something more representative of Pittsburgh (Andy?) I’d be curious to hear.

As for the actual game, Mrs. X and I will be rooting for Seattle simply because it feels wrong to support a team from your own division that is a sworn enemy of the hometown boys. I also have ties to Seattle so it’ll be easier for me. However, I feel that our rooting will be in vain and that Pittsburgh will win the game. However, I’ve though lots of things about lots of teams this year and been very wrong many times. Mrs. X actually beat me in our pick ‘em by 12 games. When you throw in the fact that we only pick 5 games a week, it makes me look really bad. I actually finished the season below .500 (.482). So if I think Pittsburgh will win, maybe Seattle will prove me wrong. I certainly wouldn’t mind that.