Here in Boston and New England, Patriots fans are stocking up on Super Bowl party supplies, especially food and drink. This trend for Super Bowl snacks is also sweeping the entire country, according to information from the National Restaurant Association.
Millions of Super Bowl fans will order take out on Super Bowl Sunday
48 million Super Bowl game-watchers, whether at home or away, will be ordering food from a restaurant on Super Bowl Sunday. Additionally, 12 million Super Bowl TV viewers will watch the New England Patriots play the New York Giants at a restaurant or bar, according to the National Restaurant Association.
The Super Bowl food and drink tradition is part of American popular culture
Since the nation’s first Super Bowl back in 1967, watching the Super Bowl with friends and family while consuming large quantities of snacks, tasty treats and drinks has been a popular tradition and rite of modern American culture.
Though Super Bowl Sunday is not any kind of official American holiday, it is a national day for food, drink and revelry. Granted, Super Bowl is not Thanksgiving day, either in terms of food or meaning.
On Thanksgiving Day Americans also stuff themselves with food in the name of thanks to their forefathers and families. However, on Super Bowl Sunday, Americans have an excuse to party with no strings attached and no one to honor, expect perhaps the modern day gladiators who take the field in the name of sport.
Super Bowl junk food rituals
A major component of Super Bowl Sunday pop culture is the American ritual of enjoying lots of food, especially greasy and fattening junk food. In fact, Super Bowl Sunday is second only to Thanksgiving as” the biggest day of food consumption in the U.S”, according to the American Institute of Food Distribution.
National Restaurant Association research also shows that “salsa/dips/spreads, chicken wings and pizza are considered must-have foods on game day," according to information posted on the organization’s website.
“Sporting events and great food go hand in hand, so it is no surprise that millions of Americans will incorporate restaurants into their plans for watching the professional football championship game this year,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the National Restaurant Association, as reported on the National Restaurant Association website.
Chicken wings and the Super Bowl may be an unbeatable combination
The National Chicken Council is reporting that chicken wings have a long history as a favorite food for Super Bowl game watchers. The National Chicken Council has published information stating that in 2008, football fans consumed 930 million chicken wings while watching the Super Bowl.
The council also predicts that during Super Bowl weekend 2012, Americans will chow down on 1.25 billion chicken wings weighing six million pounds.
New England Patriots fans like chicken wings less than Neew York Giants fans
Did you know that New England Patriots fans don’t like chicken wings as much as NY Giants fans? Here in New England, an area with a rich food culture if its own, New Englanders and Patriots fans are six percent less likely to order chicken wings during the Super Bowl festivities.
However, NY Giants and football fans from the Mid Atlantic states are 24 percent more likely to go for the wings, acccording to the National Chicken Council. What this means beyond a simple food preference remains to be seen.
Perhaps the most interesting statisticof all is that two out of five Americans who watch the Super Bowl on TV are not football fans. They are “just there for the food”, according to the National Chicken Council. Who knew?
For more information visit the website of the National Restaurant Association
For info about where to get the best chicken wings in Boston visit this website
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