Archive for the ‘Tailgating’ Category
Tailgating - Why We Do It
Tailgating. A ritual of the sporting seasons. And luckily enough, there’s always a sporting season going on in America!
But why do we do it? What’s the draw? What’s the compulsion to cook behind your car, in a parking lot outside of a stadium? Surely you can purchase something to eat INSIDE the stadium or ballpark or racetrack. And some of the professional venues have menus that rival those of 4-star restaurants.
And it’s not just about the cost. Sure it’s expensive to go to a game, purchase a ticket, pay for parking and then get your refreshments, but most of us don’t mind, it’s like a mini vacation.
And that’s where I believe the compulsion for tailgating comes from. The Mini-Vacation!
Let’s face it, in our world of constant connectivity, we’re busier than ever. Sure, we may not work 12 - 16 hour days like our ancestors did, but we’re always ON! On the phone, on the internet, on the iPhone, on the Blackberry, On the road, On the way to somewhere or another, and we just don’t have the leisure time we would like. Even when we do manage a day off, we tend to spend it catching up on household chores, family committments, personal errands, etc. There’s just not enough leisure time to go around anymore.
Since nobody is going to give up on their electronic leashes anytime soon, we have to make a party out of any leisure time we do get. That starts with a trip to the game! Whether you’re into football, baseball, basketball, hockey, auto racing or something else, you make a day out of a trip to that event. You plan it for weeks, and you invite as many good friends as you can get to go along. It’s party time!
Now, you could probably make due with some sandwiches, chips and a cooler of beer, but that’s not enough to call it a tailgate PARTY. That’s just a bunch of guys having lunch. So we start bringing out the grills, the hot plates, the rechargeable blenders and we make an event into an EVENT!
Food has always brought people together, and the more food you have, the more people you can bring together. We enjoy our friends’ company, we enjoy having nothing more to worry about than possibly burning the bratwurst or running low on beer. We enjoy ENJOYMENT.
So, at each professional sporting venue, or even college level, you’ll find a sea of tailgaters and their pals hanging out around a portable grill with a television or radio playing the highlights from the day’s other games. Some will be playing a game of touch football, others will be tossing the baseball back and forth, but everyone will be having a great time, eating great food and just RELAXING.
Share your stories of tailgating, your recipes and your ideas with us here at Black Eyed Pigz. You can respond in our comments section or you can use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the site. We look forward to tailgating online with you, our newest friends