Rolf reports from Thailand on the difficulty of taking part in a time-honored American custom — watching the Super Bowl — while traveling in Asia.

From NPR’s “The Savvy Traveler,” February 1, 2002

Host Diana Nyad: If you have zero interest in the Super Bowl hype, you’re not alone. Pundits attempting ad nauseum to predict an unpredictable game can get tiresome.

On the other hand, the Super Bowl is such an American institution at this point, for 36 years now, that we can surely dredge up a little sympathy for Americans traveling abroad who can’t find a way to watch the game.

Rolf Potts knows the disenfranchised feeling. He’s been in Asia for 5 years and he’s lived the pain of being an exile without a Superbowl to watch. I’m asking you to put aside your loathing of all things Superbowl, if that’s where you stand, and try to relate to Rolf and his quest to connect with his memories of home.

*The original post for this radio dispatch can be found at PublicRadio.org.