A Guide to the Perfect English Breakfast on Vikings Game Day
Tom Woldum
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It’s not every day (or in this case morning) that the Vikings play a league game on another continent, so it’s vital that one makes the most of this ultra-rare occurrence. The Vikings will square off with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday morning at 8:30am central time, which calls for some sort of celebration—as does every Vikings game, come to think of it. In this case, may I suggest a proper English breakfast?
According to The English Breakfast Society (I swear, it’s a thing) the traditional Brit Breakfast (or “fry up” as the locals call it) is a “substantial meal” consisting of back bacon, eggs, British sausage, baked beans, bubble and squeak, fried tomato, fried mushrooms, black pudding, with fried and toasted bread on the side.
The hot links above come directly from the Society, who are only too happy to provide a full writeup on their website for back bacon, British sausage and black pudding, but inexplicably leave us on our own for “bubble and squeak”. My best guess is that’s beer and potato chips, which in a pinch we can assume is acceptable for the entire meal.
While we’re at it, allow me to further educate you on the best ways to view a London NFL game like a true Brit. Some tips:
- When entering your chosen viewing area, be sure to call out “Bagsy!” when staking a claim to the best chair in the room. It’s Brit for “dibs!”, or “shotgun!”.
- Each time an image of Prince Charles appears on your television screen, and each time Kirk Cousins throws an interception, throw your hat aggressively towards your set and scream “bloody hell!”.
- When serving snacks to your guests, ask them brightly, “would you like some nibbles?”
- If you have any actual Brits in the room with you, be sure to refer to the sport as “American Football”, unless you want to be corrected vociferously by an indignant soccer fan who will absolutely remind you what sport has Bagsies on the term “football”.
- Impress your friends with your knowledge of the game’s venue, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It’s in the town of, you guessed it, Tottenham, North London, and is home to the Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur FC. The Spurs history dates back to 1884, and they have been a professional club since 1895. The stadium seats 62,850, and features the world’s first dividing, retractable football pitch, which reveals a synthetic turf field underneath for NFL London games, concerts and other events. Now if only the synthetic turf field would also divide and retract, revealing a swimming pool further below—then they’d really have something.
- Whenever possible, work the term “cheers” into the conversation. Not just for clinking your beers together as a toast, but when you walk into a room: “cheers!”. When someone passes you the hot sauce: “cheers!”. If somebody spills salsa on your pants: “cheers!”.
Now that you’re armed with some tips, you should have no problem entertaining your guests and enjoying the big game in jolly old England this Sunday. For good measure, here’s one last viewing tip that is uniquely British: our friends from The Old Country are well-known to suppress their emotions in ways that even a Minnesotan might find stoic.
So, if the Vikings happen to find themselves several touchdowns behind in the second half, stifle the urge to scream with rage. Instead, just steal a sidelong glance down the couch towards your nearest viewing guest and mutter in an understated way, “well. It appears that we’re in a bit of a pickle now,” and have another scone. Any further reaction would, of course, be undignified.
Cheers, Vikings!