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Spirit of tailgating

Showing team spirit is part of being a fan of your team. Not only can you show your team spirit at the game but you can also show it in the parking lot. Tailgating has become as big of an event as the game.

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NBC Sunday night football cookbook : 150 great family recipes from America's pro chefs and NFL players
introductions by Faith Hill and John Madden ; chefs' recipes courtesy of Taste of the NFL ; recipe notes and editing by Liana Krissoff and Leda Scheintaub.
New York : Time Inc. Home Entertainment, 2008.
Don't miss out on the must-have cookbook for 2008! In partnership with NBC Sports, The Sunday Night Football Cookbook marries two great American institutions food and football. With more than 150 delicious recipes from America's top chefs, NFL players and alumni, and NBC Sports all-star on-air team, the book is an easy-to-use playbook for making the ultimate fooball meal. Team by team, The Sunday Night Football Cookbook celebrates the special dishes, unique flavours, and most famous chefs of the NFL's 31 cities (plus the Pro Bowl's Honolulu).
     
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The NFL gameday cookbook : 150 recipes to feed the hungriest fan from preseason to the Super Bowl
by Ray Lampe, a.k.a. Dr. BBQ ; foreword by Rich Eisen ; photographs by Leigh Beisch.
San Francisco, Calif. : Chronicle Books, c2008.
Includes index.
     
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The ultimate tailgater's big 12 handbook
Stephen Linn.
Guilford, Conn. : Globe Pequot Press, c2007.
Millions of Americans participate in tailgating at college campuses during football season. Between the students and the alumni, and the visitors, a crush of fans are looking for places to park, to eat, to take part in traditional activities for each campus, and learn more about the school and team history.Inside you will find recipes, local venues and rules, sidebars about unique activities in each place, side tours, insider tips, and photos #38;to help make your game day the best ever. Features north and south divisions: Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A #38;amp;M, Texas.
     
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Fan fare : a playbook of great recipes for tailgating or watching the game at home
Debbie Moose.
Boston, Mass. : Harvard Common Press, c2007.
Whether you tailgate at the game or party in your TV room, whether you live and die by the fate of your team or just want to have fun hanging out with the gang, you can't lose with these bound-for-glory recipes. From Slam-Dunk Sausage Balls and Goal-to-Go Guacamole to Big Feed Jambalaya and Indoor/Outdoor Kiss-of-Fire-and-Smoke Ribs, there's plenty of awesome, crowd-pleasing food to rally around. You'll cheer these dishes as hard as you cheer for your team. Book jacket.
     
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Men's Health presents a man, a can, a tailgate plan : 50 easy game-time recipes that are sure to please
Zachary Schisgal and the editors of Men's Health.
[Emmaus, Pa.] : Rodale ; c2006.
Presenting 50 simple, tailgate-friendly recipes for munchies, soups, and chicken, beef, and pork entrees perfect for any pregame party, this cookbook provides step-by-step instructions and full-color photographs.
     

Tailgating dates back to 1904 with a Harvard vs. Yale game. Fans packed picnics and gathered together for food and fun before the game. Since then football and food have gone hand in hand. Tailgating not only happens before football games but fans gather on the asphalt before NASCAR racing, major league baseball and college, and even high school football games.

Some fans arrive in the parking lot showing their team spirit with their customized buses and trucks; others show up with their gear in the trunk of the car. No matter how you get to the lot be sure to dress up in your team colors.

Tailgating tips

Prepare and pack the night before the game

Get there early

Meet your tailgating neighbors

Bring extra plastic garbage bags for cleanup

Tailgating tips

The word girdiron ties barbecue and football together. Old recipes refer to cooking on a rack over hot coals as using a gridiron. Today gridiron refers to the football field. They say that food tastes better when cooked over a grill and a tailgate fire gives the added benefit of keeping you warm when the weather gets cold.

No need to worry that you do not have a ticket to the big game. Team spirit goes on outside of the stadium as much, if not more, as watching the game from the 50 yard line. Such is the spirit of tailgating.

Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff