The Official Boston College Tailgating Guide, Volume I: Food

It's game week folks! Time to forget about baseball, get out your Mark Herzlich jersey, cook, eat and be merry! Time to live life again!

Tailgating is a complicated art that only a few can do well. So in order to help you prepare for Boston College's opener against Northwestern on Saturday we here at BC Interruption want to help you tailgate at the highest level. As the week progresses we have a series of posts ready to help you party like a BC fan should.

The 2011 BC Interruption Tailgating Series

Today: Food
Tuesday: Drink
Wednesday: Clothing
Thursday: Logistics
Friday: Music and Entertainment

Let's get to it.

Food

Food is an absolute necessity for all tailgates and something some tailgates do not take seriously enough. Sure beer is the staple, but every Flutie needs its Phelan. Master tailgaters know how to supply a wide range of food that satisfies all taste buds. Like any meal, menus need to be set up in advance that provide snacks, main courses and desserts. Before the tailgate commences, it is essential to delegate who is bringing what, because nothing sucks more than having the host underestimate the amount of tailgaters and running out of food early. And if you know you are going to a tailgate, don't be a deadbeat. Make sure you bring something along with you.

Snacks

An absolute necessity, snacks serve a bevy of purposes. For those of you that ate before the tailgate, they provide a good gnosh while chatting with friends, also they soak booze for those of us that have a few drinks at the party. But what are some good snacks?

-- Buffalo Chicken Dip. If there is a perfect tailgating food, this is it. Cheese, hot sauce, chicken and tortilla chips. If you decide to bring it, make sure you bring a ton because it goes real fast.

-- Chips and Salsa. Classic and easy. Extra points for those of you that can actually make your own salsa because that is infinitely better than the crap you buy at the grocery story.

-- Pretzels. Goes perfectly with beer like Gary Tranquill and a draw play to Montel Harris.

-- Cheese and Crackers. If you have a lot of older women at your tailgate who drink wine, this is perfect. Me personally, I wouldn't touch it, but to each his/her own.

Main Dishes

This is a complicated subject because what you eat depends on where you are tailgating at Boston College. If you are like me and tailgate in Beacon Street or Comm Ave. garages you are forbidden from using an open flame or grille. But all other places on campus are fair game to grills.

-- Sausages, hot dogs and/or hamburgers. Probably the easiest thing to do if you aren't trapped in one of the garages. Seriously, nothing reminds me more of tailgating that the smell of sizzling meat.

-- Chili / Chowder. Invest in a thermal cooker because they can keep anything warm. Literally, you cook the food at home, throw it in a pot and it keeps warm the entire tailgate. Nothing rocks more than a warm bowl of chili during those November games where you can barely feel your fingers. And for those of you that cook chili, do us all a favor and make it hot and spicy. Jalapenos are not optional either.

-- Subs, meatballs, sausages and peppers. Stop by the local sub shop and order one of those fancy party subs and then, voila! you have dinner for like eight people. But if you really want to be the king of tailgating this is where the investment in a thermal cooker comes in handy. Hot foods like sausages work extremely well and with a little cheese you got one hot meatball.

Desserts

-- Cookies. OK. You've eaten all this hot, greasy food. How do you level that off for the game? Easy, cookies! Look, no Chips Ahoy, Oreos or any other packaged crap. We are talking real bakery cookies that melt in your hand as you eat them. Oatmeal cookies are also workable.

-- Candy. If you ever come to a BC Hysteria tailgate, you will ALWAYS see Swedish Fish and Sourpatch Kids. And they are always eaten. My suggestion? Plant yourself in front of the chips and the dessert and alternate thusly: salty, sweet, salty, sweet.

-- Pies. Does anything say New England better than a warm Apple or Pumpkin Pie? No, no it doesn't.

Breakfast

Inevitably during the season you are going to run into a morning tailgate which is going to lead to a difficult dilemma. Do you feed your guests afternoon food in the morning, or do you bring breakfast foods? I honestly do both. Some tailgates we have breakfast burritos, which goes surprisingly well with a Samuel Adams Octoberfest. Other options are bagels -- bring frozen bagels and I'll knife you -- and donuts.

So there you have it. Tailgating may not be what it is down south, but that is something we as BC fans can change. Food is the first step to a successful tailgate.

What are your must have foods for tailgating?