New England. A place where football season means unimaginably cold weather and blizzards. But that doesn’t deter Patriots fans from being enthusiastic tailgaters. Just what do these people cook when it feels like it’s 20 below zero on game day?

Considering that our beloved queso dip would not stay in liquid state for very long in New England temperatures, fans may like to snack on the famous sharp cheddar cheese from Cabot Creamery in Vermont, luckily available in Austin at Central Market. It is a rich and creamy cheddar with just the right amount of sharpness. I love it plain or with crackers.

Clearly, things to warm them up seem to be popular among Patriots tailgaters. Boston baked beans, beans slow-baked in molasses, have been a favorite Boston dish since colonial days, when the city had a big rum-producing role during the time of the slave and sugar trade. This dish continues to be one of New England’s most-loved traditional dishes, although for me, a Mexican, the thought of sweetened beans is enough to curb the appetite.

My friend Joan Tuttle-Vargas, a native of Massachusetts who has lived in Austin for the past 11 years, recalls chili as a very popular game day dish. “There always seemed to be a lot of chili at football parties,” she says. She also mentions seafood chowder, or as she jokingly pronounces it, “chow-dah,” made with clams or fish, potatoes, and milk. “Meatball sandwiches and Italian sausage sandwiches with lots of peppers and onions were also big. And fresh littleneck clams, with horseradish and Tabasco. Mmmmm.”

If I had to hang out with Patriots fans, I would rather do so with the people steaming Maine lobsters, clams, or hot dogs in beer, preferably a good Boston-style lager, like Sam Adams or the local Harpoon brew. Some people even do traditional New England clambakes in a big pot on the grill, complete with lobsters, clams, potatoes, and corn-on-the-cob, properly covered with seaweed. Now, that’s my style.

– C.A.

This article appears in January 28 • 2005.

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Mexico City native Claudia Alarcón has made Austin home since 1984. She worked her way through college in the local restaurant industry, graduating from the University of Texas in 1999. She has been a Chronicle contributor for 15 years and presents lectures and workshops on topics related to the foodways of Mexico, both locally and internationally.

Mick Vann is a retired Austin chef who is a food writer and restaurant critic, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and recipe developer. He moonlights as a University of Texas horticulturist with a propensity for ethnic eats and international food, particularly of the Asian persuasion, but he also knows his way around a plate of soul food or barbecue.