Americana: Tailgating
![It's hard to beat an SEC tailgate. Uploaded by a.espncdn.com.](http://americanthings.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/tailgating-by-a-espncdndotcom2.jpg)
It's hard to beat an SEC tailgate. Uploaded by a.espncdn.com.
Long gone are the days when tailgating was limited to fried chicken and potato salad. Go to a ballgame today and you’ll see exclusive set-ups that would be the envy of a Beverly Hills caterer.
One group at an NFL stadium builds a football temple each week. Three pop-up tents contain gas grills, cookstoves, 10 folding tables, a satellite dish, and a wide-screen TV. And the food would make the Food Network jealous. Lobster tails, steaks, crab, and turducken. (Yes, it’s what it sounds like.) And, of course, lots of adult beverages.
![Hokies are as good in the parking lot as on the field. Uploaded by vtmagazine.vt.edu.](http://americanthings.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/tailgate-by-vtmagazine-vtdotedu1.jpg?w=300)
Hokies are as good in the parking lot as on the field. Uploaded by vtmagazine.vt.edu.
Of course, most people’s idea of tailgating isn’t to build a mobile four-star restaurant. Take me, for example. I’m happy with burgers on a hibachi, barbecue and baked beans, homemade banana pudding, and sweet tea. Oh, baby.
Here are 10 things to bring to a tailgate (which you could easily forget), courtesy of tailgating.com: 1. Jumper cables 2. Toilet paper 3. Plastic trash bags 4. Extra ice 5. Rain gear 6. First-aid kit 7. Sun block 8. A newbie 9. Comfortable shoes 10. Antacid
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