Fans from Ecuador made a point of trying KC barbecue, and, boy, were they happy
Contrary to what you may have heard, tailgaters are not an extinct species at this World Cup.
There were a few groups of fans enjoying a drink or a bite to eat Saturday before Ecuador and Curaçao played to a scoreless draw at Kansas City Stadium (aka Arrowhead). But this wasn’t the tailgating experience most Chiefs fans have.
There were no grills as people brought their own food, but they were eating in groups out of their cars and vans while also enjoying a drink.
So, yeah, it didn’t smell like a Chiefs home game when the sweet scent of grilled meat is in the air.
But those Ecuador fans had already made a point of stopping to get barbecue after arriving in Kansas City. That’s been a trend during this World Cup.
One group of supporters, who are from Cuenca, Ecuador, waited two hours at Q39 to try the ribs.
It wasn’t time wasted.
“It was wonderful,” Lorena Bravo said of the ribs and her tailgating friends agreed.
While we were talking, a few Curaçao fans walked by — and they ended up taking a group photo. The Ecuador fans started a “Curaçao! Curaçao!” chant. It was a fun moment before the match.
Not far away, a group from Quito, Ecuador, was eating pizza and drinking a soda and/or beer. They had driven 20 hours from New Jersey after watching Ecuador’s loss to Ivory Coast in the team’s first match.
After getting to KC on Friday, they went to Joe’s Kansas City in the original location at the gas station. Diego Galindo wasn’t thrilled about having to wait in line for nearly two hours, but most folks in KC know you can’t just show up at that location and expect to eat right away.
Galindo and his group also tried the ribs.
“It was nice,” he said. “There was no question we were going to try the famous ribs of Joe’s.”
Visiting broadcasters also relished the chance to get barbecue because they were in Kansas City to call a game. One Telemundo analyst pulled out his phone and showed the plate of food he got at Scott’s Kitchen, which is near Kansas City International Airport.
“Oh,” he said, “it was so good.”
Kansas City’s reputation for having the best barbecue in the country has only been reinforced by international World Cup visitors.
