Tailgating Made Easy
In order to properly enjoy a football game, one must start with the all-important tailgating party. Those of you who know nothing about sports are probably asking, “What exactly is tailgating?”
Tailgating comes in many forms depending on which part of the country you are in. Some people stick with the basics: chips and dip, grilled burgers and hot dogs, and other easy to prepare items. Others turn the entire experience into culinary decadence by preparing anything from BBQ to crab boils to lobster rolls to sushi. Tailgating has become so popular that you can catch the antics of amateur chefs on the Food Network’s “Tailgate Warriors” hosted by Allegations of Deliciousness’ second least favorite personality, Guy Fieri.
For those of us who grew up in the South and Midwest or for those who went to colleges with big football programs, tailgating is pretty much mandatory before entering a stadium to enjoy the game. Tailgating is also quite popular before NFL (pro football) games.
Besides our love of food, J. Frankfurter and I also share a love for the New York Jets, regardless of the Jets’ ability to choke big time and break our little hearts. We decided to go the Meadowlands this season and catch the Jets take on the Green Bay Packers with a couple of friends.
One of the joys of living in New York City is never having to drive because of all of the public transportation options. However, when it comes to tailgating, a vehicle of some sort is necessary to carry passengers, food, beverages and cooking equipment to the game. Although both of us lack access to a motor vehicle, we employed the services of one of the many professional tailgating outfits that can usually be found at your local stadium.
We decided to go with Tailgate Joe because the food and beer menu (all you can eat and drink for a mere $25/person) sounded like a great deal. For our particular game, there was plenty of Kelso beer to accompany maple breakfast sausage biscuits, Taylor Ham pork roll sandwiches, chili dogs, cheeseburgers, meatball sliders and homemade cannolis.
The food was good, the crowd plentiful but not annoying (i.e., you never had to wait in line too long for refills on food and beer), and you didn’t have to deal with cleaning up right before the game. Also, since we were so stuffed from hours of eating before kickoff, there was no need to spend lots of money inside the stadium for mediocre food. We highly recommend the experience for anyone unable to cook up a menu of their own.
Hey guys, just came across this. Thanks for the kind words, glad you liked it!