The Switch up

The snackscape has changed.

There was a time that the gameday spread at my house would rival a deep south buffet, complete with all of the dips, wings, meatballs, every variety of chip known to man, and a robust sourdough bowl overflowing with cheese-laden chili. Not this year. We didn't even rock the football shaped snack plates or green-turf garland with little dangling pigskins.

As everything else, the pandemic has transformed our Superbowl experience. No standing-room-only friends, family and "who the heck are you?" strangers in our living room. No clogged toilets or somebody's random three-year-old feeding full polish sausages to the overweight dog. It was quiet. Just two of us. It’s not just the headcount that is different this year, we changed up the snack game too. No elaborate charcuterie boards or relish trays. No cold cuts or cheeseballs. The traditional spread seemed like overkill - not that we're opposed to that, usually - but this virus has been too kind to our waistlines.

Eating isn’t the only art that we’ve perfected in the last 12 months. This pandemic has turned many of us into budding chefs, stuck at home, sometimes scrounging up recipes for the obscure ingredients that have been loitering uselessly in the back of our pantries for a decade, or the weird mix-up delivered with the instacart order. I've joined the ranks of self-made culinarians, taking a spin down the keto trail and even trying my hand at vegetarian specialties to see if it helps remediate the COVID 19lbs that I've tacked on. No joy there, but it's been a fun experiment and I've expanded my six rotating meals to a whopping eight or so now.

Even for all of my , this year, we took a different turn for Superbowl LV. We ordered out. More than that - we had it DELIVERED. Not that we don't do that on a semi-regular basis (ok, ok - I've got a DashPass [message me for a referral code :) ]), but with everything our local restaurants have been through, it seemed like a great chance to put our feet up and wait for Brenda (who happens to be a fellow Chiefs fan, I discovered) to deliver from one of our favorite burger joints up the road, Lost Boys Garage.

Sure, Superbowl Sunday was probably busy for a lot of our businesses, but here in Washington State, most of them are still closed, or open with very limited capacity which doesn't make for a super Superbowl party. These little restaurants are hurting. They've taken a beating this year and it just seemed like a great excuse to dial back the pseudo-chef routine and support a local business. No regrets here. The Jerry Lee Lewis burger was stacked high with thick cut bacon and cheddar, uber-fresh veggies and slathered in creamy peanut butter (don't knock it 'til you try it!). My guy got the fish and chips -well, tots - and even with a cross-town delivery, they were crispy and hot.

The Coronavirus has transformed the way we do things - the way we gather, the way we find entertainment, the way we observe traditions, the way we eat. The Superbowl is just the latest iteration of pandemic adjustments that we've all made. It was strange to spend the day without friends and family, but I can't say I hated it, and the food was ON POINT. It might be the first Superbowl when I didn’t miss a single commercial or the halftime show, for whatever that’s worth (seriously Matthew McConaughey, what WAS that?).

To be perfectly honest, I am not sure I'll ever go back to slaving away over crock pots and chafing dishes, and as for that sourdough chili bread bowl, we'll just have that next Wednesday.