Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Football. Once again it is that time of year when we Americans obsess over who will win the Super Bowl. And that Super Day is not just a sports event. It is a cultural phenomenon that sweeps the country. Starting out in our kitchens!

We will have consumed about 120 billion chicken wings just watching the playoffs. But on Super Bowl Sunday we Americans will eat over 145 billion wings! That would be enough chicken wings to fill up 1,183,333 football fields! And we won’t stop there. The American Pizza Community states that 12,500,000 pizzas will be ordered in that one afternoon! And to wash it all down? How about 325 million gallons of beer?

Football is not a game. It is a sensation! We will not be derailed by current events or nightly news. We have more important things to think about! There is rushing, passing, unnecessary roughness, tackling, kicking and touchdowns to consider. If we are lucky, our favorite team will win. And if we don’t like the teams, we will probably watch anyway.

Super Bowl Sunday is not just a game, it is a spectacle, a show, a never-ending food fest. It is the second largest American food consumption day of the year, right behind Thanksgiving. We will eat all manner of unhealthy, fattening, tasty things that we rarely bother with the rest of the year. Which is a very good thing, because we’d all blow up like blimps if we kept it up.

I might get some Velveeta and make a delicious dip. My daughter says Velveeta is nothing more than yellow chemicals. My girlfriend says that it should be banned as a food product. My doctor claims that Velveeta could clog our arteries faster than you can scream, “Touchdown!” I call, “Foul!” Dice up the yellow log of God knows what, add a little salsa and microwave for a minute. Yum.

We Americans have taken the Super Bowl to new gastronomical levels. Maybe we stuff ourselves because our favorite team didn’t make it. Or maybe one Big Day of non-stop eating without having to baste a turkey, make the pies and get out the good china is what we really like.

During the game, we might have the chance to witness greatness. A quarterback will throw the long bomb 75 yards and it will be caught on the fly in a “how did they do that” moment. Or we might see a receiver run like a robot through a field of giant-sized men who cannot block, grab or stop him. And if all goes well, we will witness two teams thrash it out with no bad referee calls and no injuries.

There is one game left. A blissful day or tragic heartbreak depending on which jersey you are wearing. For my friends and family who are healthy, I will make a veggie tray. I will also be sure to have as many artery-clogging snacks as possible.

Dear Readers, I hope your favorite team wins. If not, we can drown out our blues with 325 million gallons of beer. One glass at a time. Game on!

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.