Games not about pigs in the blanket; rather, sharing experiences
Why is it that so many of us love to watch football games? Last week I gained some insight. It all started when shopping for that wonderful appetizer called pigs in a blanket (PIBs). I braved the frigid cold in search of that delight. While prowling the aisles of a supermarket in South Brunswick, I met a man in his 20s. We were both pacing up and down the frozen food aisle peering intently into the freezer cases. The young man asked if I had found PIBs. Sadly I shook my head. "I can't find them either," he said.

We devised a game plan: he would search one side of the aisle and I would search the other. He spied an empty shelf, with a label "Beef Franks in a Blanket." A label and no product was not an encouraging sign.

My fellow PIB-lover remained in the aisle continuing to hunt for the elusive hot dogs. Customer service declared they hadn't moved them and the empty shelf meant what we feared: sold out. With a heavy heart, I returned to relay the sad news to my compatriot. The game just wouldn't be the same without the PIBs.

Ah, but my new friend had improvised. He had acquired the last two packages of mini hot dogs. He presented me with a package, escorted me to the dairy aisle and excitedly showed me the crescent rolls. "My mother used to wrap the little hot dogs in these rolls to make PIBs," he explained. Happily we both trudged toward the cashiers, clutching our makings for PIBs. Maybe this is what those football games are really about - shared goals, sharing experiences, and helping someone else.

John G. O'Sullivan Monmouth Junction section

of South Brunswick