Great food and conversation this weekend at Track 15 in Providence, RI. The beautifully restored Union Train Station turned food hall is pure sensory delight. The moment you walk in, the aromas from the seven vendors pull you right in. A huge shoutout to Tolia for their unforgettable Turkish magic, especially the shawarma and lamb shish. Come hungry and leave inspired by flavors that linger long after the last bite.
Few things beat the joy of watching football at a bar on a Sunday afternoon.
It’s more than a game. It’s a ritual that somehow feels like home, no matter where you are.
Let’s start with the food because football
Sundays demand it. Wings are the undisputed star of the table. I’m a Buffalo
Wing guy, but I tip my cap to the variety. (Here’s a good link on the Top 10
USA Wing Flavors).
https://www.wingaddicts.com/blog/the-10-most-popular-chicken-wing-flavors-in-the-united-states
Beer specials, half-price appetizers, and those
silly/awesome giveaways add to the spectacle. Who among us hasn’t tried to wedge yet
another promotional pint glass into an already overstuffed cabinet? You don’t
need it, but somehow you do.
But the real magic is in the conversations.
Everyone in a jersey has a story about how they chose their team. Maybe it’s
where they grew up, maybe it’s family tradition, maybe it was one perfect
Sunday when they were eight and got hooked by a quarterback’s poise or the
shine of a helmet. Those stories get told and retold, louder than the
commentators on TV.
The bar becomes a theater of voices.
One guy
recites obscure stats like he’s auditioning for ESPN. There’s bragging about
wins, commiserating over losses, and plenty of taunting aimed at rival fans who
were brave enough to show up in the wrong colors.
That’s the beauty of football in public. It’s
a shared language that connects strangers for a few hours every week. You might
not remember everyone’s name, but you’ll remember their team, their wing
preference, and their reaction to that last-minute touchdown.
Here’s to another season! Another round of wings, another pint glass jammed into the cabinet, another Sunday yelling at the screen with friends and strangers alike.
Football is back, and with it, the
joy of watching together.
