Fill in the blanks based on what you listen:
The chicken wing is to the Super Bowl as the Turkey is to Thanksgiving.
On this day Americans will consume an estimated 1.2 billion chicken wings and this year the Super Bowl delicacy is celebrating its golden anniversary.
"This is where the wings first took flight."
"Yes, in fact we are gonna celebrate the 4th of March, we are gonna celebrate 50 years anniversary."
Yvano Toscani is the manager of Buffalo's Anchor Bar. Back in 1964 the joint was run by Frank and Teressa Bellissimo. One late-night friends of Teressa's son Dominic came into the bar hungry after a night of drinking.
In those days chicken wings were discarded at best thrown into a stock pot for soup. But Teressa had another idea for her package patrons.
"And she came up with those medium wings and she created the sensation."
"So she served the wings to her son's drunk friends." "Yes!"
So with a simple coating of melted margarine and hot sauce the humble chicken wing took flight.
"Mild, medium, hot, barbecue and those are -- suicide."
For a closer look we can't beat a panel of Buffalo's most distinct wing eaters.
Legendary local lunch performer, Lance Diamond, civic booster and all around Buffalo lover Bernice Radle and Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas - AKA the Thurmanator - who only needs one hand to scrape his bone clean.
"Oh man! You did away with that second one like that!"
"I'm a professional chicken eating wing guy!"
The bond between this city and its wings is strong.
"I think it runs really deep, just like the Bills, the Sabres - wings are it's our signature food as what we are!"
"I'm wearing wing color nail polish right now -- chicken wing color nail polish."
These wings nuts helped me pick apart the culinary "dos and don'ts".
First of get the name right.
"Am I correct? They should never be called Buffalo Wings."
"Never call them Buffalo Wings."
"What do you call them?"
"Chicken wings."
"Locally because of these wings, wings, wings. Never Buffalo!"
"It's a chicken wing, right?"
"Not made of buffalo!"
Asked for the crucial supporting role of celery.
"Is celery to Rogers, to the wings to Astaire? Are they team? The stars with a match."
"It was nice!"
"It's smooth!"
"I don't see any carrots on this stuff, right?" "I don't care about"
"It's not a mistake. If something has a mistake made here there are no carrots."
"Carrots are stable"
Asked what could dip your wings in - "Ranch Dressing" recently surpassed blue cheese. Our panel was having none of that.
"Ranch for some salad."
"Ranch has no business with wings."
"No business with wings."
"No business with wings, it's all blue cheese."
For this next bit of advice all you healthy eaters out there might wanna put the TV on mute.
"I mean wings and other places in the country and they always bake them. They bake them. And it's like -- wow!"
"I'm from Buffalo. These are not how wings roll here!"
"You don't bake them."
"They have to be fried". "They gotta be fried!". They gotta be fried!".
And at Anchor Bar they plan to keep on frying wings for a long, long time.
"So what's next for chicken wings?"
"Nothing! Chicken wings will be always chickens wings. And they will be here forever and never."
And if you are Buffalo lover like me, there's no better way to burn up all those chicken wings and dance into the tunes of Lance Diamond.
