A food Q&A with Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith

By Gretchen McKay / PIttsburgh Post-Gazette

It’s no surprise Pittsburgh Steelers eat more than the average person.

Professional football players are some of the biggest and strongest athletes in the world, and it takes a lot of fuel to meet the physical demands on the gridiron over the course of the 18-week season. 

Many eat four or five full meals a day to get enough calories to power through workouts and games, and there’s also snacks to help build endurance.

Then again, most football players are just like the rest of us, with definite opinions about the foods they love.  

For fun, we asked Steelers veteran outside linebacker Alex Highsmith to tackle a gastronomic Q&A modeled after the Proust Questionnaire, a set of questions answered by the French author Marcel Proust in the mid-1880s and the basis for many modern interviews. 

Why Highsmith? The 27-year-old North Carolina native plays an important role in the team’s defense from his post at outside linebacker.

He and fellow linebacker T.J Watt’s are arguably the best edge rushing duo in the NFL. Since being drafted by the Steelers in 2020, Highsmith has become a dynamic playmaker whose 27.5 sacks over the past three seasons ranks him 16th in the NFL — ahead of one of the greatest defensive players of all time in the now-retired Aaron Donald, a University of Pittsburgh alum who starred with the Los Angeles Rams. 

Favorite go-to restaurant: Chipotle.

Food guilty pleasure you never want to give up. Movie theater popcorn.

Food always in your refrigerator: Chicken.

Cilantro — yay or nay: Yay.

One word that sums up dining in Pittsburgh. Diverse.

The latest new-to-you food or drink that you fell in love with. Red wine.

Condiment smackdown: Ketchup or mustard? Mustard

What you had to give up for training camp. Wine. I usually like a glass every now and then, but not drinking it for camp.

Best midnight snack: Pizza rolls.

Food everyone should know how to cook: Pasta.

The meal that sends you right to a happy place: Wings. They are my favorite food.