Last night I attended a party held for
Pittsburgh fans at a local club as the NFL season kicked off. I prefer baseball, but the party sounded fun
so I decided to go. And it was great
(until the second quarter). The planners
of the event had all the ingredients for Primanti Brother's sandwiches (they even had the bread flown in). Primanti sandwiches are known for their fries
that are within the sandwich. When I
lived in Pittsburgh, it was a place to go in the strip district (which wasn’t
you might think for as far as I saw, everyone kept their clothes on. It was the market district in the city. Additional food stuff included pierogis,
fried baloney, Polish sausage, stromboli, along with Iron City and Rolling Rock
beer. There was even a “Stiller”
cake. For those of you who don’t know
Pittsburgh, it does have its own language.
Sadly, the Steelers loss to the New England Patriots. Like everything with New England, there was
controversies. One of the two Steeler games I attended when I
lived in Pittsburgh was against New England.
It was December 1989, the last game of the season. It was freezing cold with a high winds blowing off the river, but it was a great day as the Steelers crushed the Patriots by three touchdowns.
I
have been amazed at the number of Steeler fans that you find around the country. It seems most every city I visit have a bar
with Pittsburgh memorabilia and when the Steeler’s play there are special
parties. Even a bar on Whiskey Creek,
just two miles from where I grew up, is a Steeler hangout! It seems that the Pittsburgh diaspora, much
of which occurred in the 70s and 80s, sending large numbers of Pittsburghers
into other parts of the country.
Pittsburgh is a friendly city and those who have lived there generally
leave a piece of their hearts in the city and through the Steelers (along with
the Pirates and Penguins) find common friends in faraway places. Last night, I was with 100 new friends (I only knew a couple of them beforehand). I also won one of the door prizes, a biography of Jack Lambert by Jim O'Brien, (Lambert: The Man in the Middle... and other Outstanding Linebackers) one of tough linebackers for the Steeler's in the 70s.
I have never been to Pittsburgh, although near it. Sounds like a good food night for you!
ReplyDeleteIt is a good city, made up of a lot of little "burgs" that gives it a small town feel.
DeleteDespite the rivalry between the Browns and the Steelers, I think most Clevelanders think Pittsburgh is a great town!
ReplyDeleteThe "mistake on the lake" has come a long ways and is also a nice city. I did see an Indian's game in the old stadium back in the early 90s.
Deleteheyy look amazing!!! what lovely!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the sandwichs Im really hungry, still I dont make lunch lol
you always surprise me :)
ReplyDeleteThanks. I sometimes feel as if my post are too predictable (sailing and kayaking and outdoor stuff). I hope you got lunch!
DeleteDont worry you are not predictable Sage.lol
DeleteAlways you talk about interesting things:)
Dont worry you are not predictable Sage.lol
DeleteAlways you talk about interesting things:)
I like how you're getting so involved in this community. Sounds like a lovely time! And good eats. :)
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot to do here--sometimes I feel I need to be retired!
DeleteCongrats on winning the door prize. Oh and that sandwich looks pretty good.
ReplyDeleteThanks, it's not a book that I'd buy, but it looks interesting.
DeleteThat's one amazing looking sandwich. Yum!
ReplyDeleteThey are!
DeleteI've never been to Pittsburgh except to travel through it, though I have spent much of my life in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Culturally, I think of it as light years away from Philadelphia - the difference between the East Coast part of PA and the Midwest part.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought it was endearing that the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins all wear the same colors.
Oh, get over your east-coast bias. I've been to Philly several times but would take Pittsburgh any day over the cheese-steak sandwich capital.
DeleteSounds like a great night! We visited Pittsburgh once for a few days, seemed like a great city. Those sandwiches look awesome. I love pierogies too...
ReplyDeleteOoh, Whiskey Creek! Seems like a great place to listen to some Whisky Trench Riders :-) https://whiskytrenchriders.bandcamp.com/album/whisky-trench-riders
I don't know that group. Whiskey Creek got its name from some bootlegging activity, I'm told.
DeleteAlright Jeff tell me that right alongside the Steelers gear there isn't great heaps of Lions memorabilia. The lions are my plan to get rich--at a million to one odds of ever just getting to the Super Bowl I bet a fiver every year they will get there, after all it's been since the year I was born, 61 years as a matter of Bobby Lane--sooner or later in my lifetime they will get there right?
ReplyDeletemaybe because a Detroit football party has pigskin coney dogs, Stroh's beer which they don't make here anymore and overly chewy pizza for dessert is the reason we never make the big game?
If you wanted to make money, you should have bet against Serena Williams yesterday (a 300 to 1 odd and she lost!) There were no Detroit memorabilia, this was a pretty exclusive club! :)
DeleteEveryone should own a Detroit something before they go out of fashion.
DeleteThat "Stiller" cake is a hoot, sweetpea! We're Saints fans up here, so given that this truly is Falconsland, sort of low key! xox
ReplyDeleteThere were probably a 100 of us "Stiller fans" here in the Savannah area that gathered the other evening. I don't root for the Braves either, and as a Pirate fan I detest 'em.
DeleteWhen I lived in Arkansas, which has no pro team, I rooted for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders. I've always liked the Steelers.
ReplyDeleteYou can't go wrong with them... Of course, you know have the Saints.
DeleteLooks like a fun party. They definitely had some good looking food. I hope you enjoy your door prize - congrats!
ReplyDeleteOnly problem with the door prize is that it is a book that way go well down in my TRB pile.
DeleteLooks like it was a fun night. Thanks! :-)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
It was, good to see you back around after your summer break.
DeleteI'm on a diet and this post is NO good for that! I'm not much of a football fan, but I'm all about the parties.
ReplyDeleteThe food was good! But there were no Klondike ice cream bars or Clark candy bars, both from the Steel City (of course, the condiments were all Heinz)
DeleteMy classical education would say bread and circuses. The reader in me says, oh that team is owner by Rooney Mara's family. The social historian says wow, why would Pittsburghers jump from what could only be a frying pan in the 80s into the fire of Georgia. But for Atlanta and the area beside the bases. The person who reads all your essays for the last number of years is a bit bemused and inwardly judging at a outdoorsman entering such a place :-). The European is totally stumped at how so many straight-laced Americans, yes I will say bible-belters, think nothing of two sets of healthy young women in nowt but their skimpy's gyrating about. And the Irish in me is delighted that we are well represented.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy parties and don't have to be outside all the time! I was amused at your various interpretations!
DeleteI ate at a Primanti brother sandwich the last time I was in Pittsburgh and I must say it was quite good. Although I now live in a city known for its bridges, I must say it doesn't hold a candle to Pittsburgh!
ReplyDeleteThe city does have some very nice bridges--the favorite ( in my opinion) being the 3 sisters
DeleteGreat win for you! I know there are plenty of Steelers fans in Florida. When I worked for The Steeler's Digest as a circulation assistant everything was Big Ben this, Big Ben that...and of course, Polamalu. Those were exciting times when they won the SB in 2005. What a great job and time to be there!
ReplyDeleteUh, we didn't win... I did win a book, but would have given it up for a game :)
DeleteI do remember driving through there on my way to the east coast! I'm not a real sports fan, but one of my grandsons is a major sports fan and for his birthday this year I took him, and his daddy and older brother to a Saints game (they were in the playoffs this year too) in their new stadium and it was a total blast. We went on Friday night (their last home game) and they always have Fireworks on Friday nights! Win! Win! and they won that game by one point and it was a great journey getting there.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch sports, but I would go to a party like this. Cool cake.
ReplyDelete