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Unique traditions make Buffaloâ??s football tailgating special
Unique traditions make Buffaloâ??s football tailgating special
Growing up in western [New York]e|place , it's easy to take the region's unique blend of cultural traditions for granted. After all, you can find Buffalo wings on menus across the country, not to mention in frozen food aisles. Those of us who just so happened to bear witness to four consecutive Super Bowls remember a time before that was so, however, before a glut of national attention, when Buffalo cuisine was as foreign to many Americans as foods from the other side of the world. In those days, arguably the single greatest, most genuine, and most varied showcase of Buffalo culture was the football tailgating taking place around the home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills , what's now Ralph Wilson Stadium at 1 Bills Drive.
Of course, in those days it was called Rich Stadium, and if ever there was a place where we Buffalonians put on our tribe's colors, prepared our tribe's foods, and proudly put our shared heritage on display, it was there. I don't necessarily mean inside the stadium, either. If an anthropologist, say a modern-day Margaret Mead, decided to study Buffalo traditions firsthand, she could do no worse than by heading out to the parking lot at Ralph Wilson Stadium on game day.
What makes tailgating the best showcase of Buffalo culture is the fact that it lacks the varnish and tightly controlled atmosphere of city-sponsored events downtown or elsewhere. Newcomers to Orchard Park, where the stadium is located, will find Buffalonians being who they are, letting their hair down, and cooking great Buffalo foods the likes of which you won't find in any supermarket freezer. I'm no unbiased observer, but even Forbes has ranked Buffalo as one of the top NFL tailgating towns in the country. Here are just some of the traditions that make the Buffalo tailgating experience more than worthy of the praise.
Nothing better for any party than Buffalo wings
There's a reason why Buffalo wings have spread like wildfire throughout the country, arguably becoming as synonymous with America as apple pie and hamburgers. Buffalo wings are, bar-none, the ideal party food, better for family and community get-togethers than any plain old bucket of drums. Buffalonians still just call them "wings" because, after all, why would you eat them any other way? Any open tailgate on the parking lot that isn't serving up Buffalo's wings, fresh spicy, and unlike anything from a store, almost assuredly belongs to an out-of-towner rooting for the other team.
Beef on weck, the ideal game day sandwich?
Buffalo isn't a one-trick-pony when it comes to tailgating food, and the other celebrated western [New York]e|OOD staple found on the stadium parking lot is arguably just as memorable as the wings. The beef on 'weck sandwich, made up of thinly sliced roast beef, cooked rare, and horseradish served up on a Kimmelweck bun, is yet another proud Buffalo invention. The Kimmelweck roll gives the sandwich is unique flavor with its generous topping of coarse salt and caraway seeds. We Buffalonians just call the rolls "weck", taking the confusion out of the German-rooted name which people seem to spell any way they feel. As great as Buffalo wings are, these hearty, flavorful sandwiches are the ideal compliment for almost any other game day foods and drinks, though the beef on weck's unique smell is as unforgettable as the taste.
Some the most unique, longest-running tailgates in the country
Every hardcore sports fan likes to claim that his or her fellow fans are the most dedicated, most colorful, and most passionate around. Pay a visit to Orchard Park on game day, and you'll be hard-pressed to deny that Buffalonians take football fandom to new heights. Nothing makes this clearer than the long-running tailgates inevitably being set up at close to the crack of dawn at every single home game. Some of the oldest of these tailgates must be seen to be believed, like Pinto Ron's Tailgate , famous for the food grilled on the hood of Ken Johnson's 1980 Ford Pinto, taking place since at least 1989. Other tailgates are giant events in their own right, and have been near-permanent fixtures at the stadium for years. The fact that these tailgates still take place like clockwork, through the ups and downs of the Bills franchise over the years, is a testament to the passion of the fans. No matter what happens in the stadium, Buffalonians are all smiles when it comes to tailgating.
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