Sundays were always a big family food day in my home growing up. We’d go to The Petroleum Club after church for brunch, the buffet was magnificent. My parents would truly take advantage of “the day of rest,” we’d eat and socialize for a couple of hours. Dinner on Sundays was a fancy affair, my grandmother was always invited. Mom would make a special dessert like cream puffs or her “ladyfingers” icebox cake (tiramisu), Dad would whip something up like lamb chops with mashed potatoes and spinach. We’d watch Grandma’s favorite show, Lawrence Welk and then head to bed.
We had special birthday and holiday menus and Mom would fry chicken with scalloped potatoes or spend the day making tamales but Super Bowl food was never a part of the rotation.
It wasn’t until Super Bowl XII in 1978 that I understood the full extent of the joy of a Super Bowl party and its food. We were living in Denver and The Denver Broncos played The Dallas Cowboys. I was nine months pregnant with my second child on January 15, 1978 when the game was played. The Super Bowl party’s menu included “hot wings,” seven layer dip, “pigs in a Blanket,” and potato skins.
As a baby gift, I had been given an “Orange Crush” Broncos, tiny, track suit to match the team jerseys that all the party goers were wearing. Everything at the party was orange and blue, the tablecloth, plates, and napkins. It was a very festive celebration, until the Broncos started losing. A few of the guests actually left at halftime, walking out the door shaking their heads. The final score was Cowboys 27, Broncos 19.
Super Bowl XIII between The Cowboys and The Steelers was played on January 21, 1979, and I was living in Coronado, California. My Mom was visiting and we spent the day at The San Diego Zoo. We ordered dumplings and spare ribs for dinner from The Chu Dynasty, our local Chinese restaurant and didn’t watch the game. The Army/Navy game was the most important football game in my neighborhood then. We were mostly Navy wives whose husbands were deployed on one of the three aircraft carriers down the block from our houses.
Super Bowl games were televised in Hawaii in the morning. TV’s were rolled out onto lanai’s and the party goers would stand around grills drinking beer while watching the game. The potluck buffet included; Lumpia, macaroni salad, seven-layer dip, fried wings, Managua, kimchi, and burgers on the grill. There was a sea of different jerseys, everyone was from somewhere else and Hawaii didn’t have a pro football team. After the game, we’d nap and head to the nearest swimming pool or the beach.
Super Bowl Sunday became an important celebration when I married my husband, Matt. Roger Staubach was John General’s lab partner at The Naval Academy and so we were all Dallas Cowboys fans. The General family was serious about their Super Bowl parties; one year, they hosted the game at the Avalon Theater, the best party ever. Other years we watched at John’s house, a deconsecrated church (All Saints) on Longwoods Road that he had renovated. The great room was perfect for parties. John’s Mom, Peggy would always make her clam dip with Ruffles potato chips. There were submarine sandwiches, seven layer dip, crab dip, pizza and of course, wings. There was always some good-natured betting and some shouting at the TV.
For the past seven years, Matt and I have been eating a plant-based diet, so our “hot wings” were actually cauliflower. Seven layer dip was always an option also. We are planning a quiet night this year, I’m really looking forward to the commercials.
Kate Emery General is a retired chef/restaurant owner who was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. Kate loves her grandchildren, knitting, and watercolor painting. Kate and her husband, Matt are longtime residents of Cambridge’s West End where they enjoy swimming and bicycling.
