2007/01/05
In preparation for the coming national championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Florida Gators, I decided it was time to blog about the connection between football and food.
I have a theory about American Football. And I'm not talking about the band American Football, although I do have a theory on them: they suck. I am talking about the immensely popular, barbaric orgy of violence and advertising kind of football. More precisely, I am talking about the awesome kind of football.
I think football is as popular as it is because it is an excuse to eat and party. Yes, the game has a compelling flow to it. Yes, there is intricate strategy. But it's hard to think about strategy after your eighth Miller High Life. At that point you're just looking for something to set on fire after the game. Tailgating for football games, especially at "football schools," is more than an activity, it is an entire subculture. A subculture that honors mostly one type of food and one type of cooking method. The food: anything that used to be alive (read: MEAT). The method: grilling.
The NFL and the NCAA know this. That is why they schedule games at regular times, every week. It makes it convenient for the average football fan to develop a routine of eating and partying. Most of all, it provides the average citizen some time to escape from the boredoms and stresses of work and school. I think it would benefit the NHL a lot to schedule games on a more regular basis, so people could get into the habit of watching games regularly. As it stands now, games are on seemingly random days, and there are so many that even a rabid NHL fan such as myself is unable to have a feast for (or care about) every one.
But enough about hockey. I know that if you are reading this, you are probably in America, and as such, you probably don't give a shit about hockey (although as a cultured and educated east coast liberal elite Eatfoo reader, you probably don't give a shit about football either). So put your monocle and top hat back on, I'm getting back to the subject.
In my tenure working at a Thai restaurant, I had to work just about every Saturday for two years. It left me with no opportunity to attend games here at Florida, which in hindsight is a real shame, because it is probably the finest football environment in the world. There is an electricity in the air in Gainesville on Saturdays that cannot be described, and the weather, for some strange reason is always absolutely perfect. This year however, I have a job where I never work on Saturdays, so I got to go to three games, none of which were "big" games. One of the best things about game days is that all laws on campus are suspended. Park your car wherever it will fit. Drink anything you want. Just don't be an idiot about it, and you'll stay out of jail.
Below are some pictures from the first game of the season. That's fellow Eatfoo contributor Adam Rugg in one of them, along with our friends May and Monica.
My prediction for the game: Florida upsets Ohio State 21-17. Gainesville is going to be nuts either way. I'll be watching the game at a huge barbecue and party with tons of friends and generally having a blast. Go Gators.
Oh, and if you happen to be looking for the funniest college football blog in the entire college football blog scene, check out Every Day Should Be Saturday.
Posted by Chris Santoro on 2007/01/05 @ 22:17 | Comments (0) | EatFoo 1.0 Posts