The day before the 2011 NFC championship game, I was pretty excited. Like many Chicagoans, I looked forward to the Bears maybe reaching the Super Bowl again. Characteristic of Chicago in winter, it was chilly outside. So to warm up I made one of my favorite Chicago comfort foods: pierogi.
Savoring a bite of both food and football, I flipped my grub on my kitchen's griddle. I wasn't looking for any sort of sign about the matchup, but I think I got one.
The oven-either by some strange cosmic force or its own wicked sense of humor-branded what looked like a big Green Bay Packers oval "G" on one butter-down side pierogi. Timely.
I devoured it quickly, not knowing what to make of the situation, but thinking I'd just do what the Bears would do to the Packers: eat them for lunch.
But the imagery loomed. I snapped a photo and sent it to Bears fan friends, bugging them, "hey look!" Some probably thought I doctored my foodie photo, but I didn't. It was a freak thing, but totally legit. "Don't worry about it," one pal said. Another claimed the "G" was probably not an endorsement for the Packers but instead for the Georgia Bulldogs or even the Georgetown Hoyas.
I'm not a superstitious fan, but like anyone on the Bears side of the rivalry, I sometimes wonder why the Bears have had such trouble with the Packers, at least since the early 1990s when Green Bay added Brett Favre.
Sure, it's always an important game, a division rival. But do we overthink it? Considering the way Detroit disposed of the Cheeseheads on Sunday, perhaps beating Green Bay ain't so hard when you put your best game face on.
As every Bears fan probably knows about that January day in 2011, the NFC title game at home didn't go as planned.
Years later, I'm still curious about fans' thoughts on this rivalry and even wonder about superstitions on both sides. As for me, no more pierogi before game day.
Andy Frye is a RedEye special contributor.
