Talking tailgating at Tar Heel Tailgate Talk

Debbie Moose, a highly acclaimed food writer and proud Carolina alumna, said the best part of tailgating is that everyone wins.

Moose returned to campus October 24 to deliver a talk on tailgating traditions that supported the University academic theme, Food for All. This third installment in the Tar Heel Tailgate Talk series was kicked off by Chancellor Carol L. Folt and food theme co-chair and American Studies Professor Marcie Cohen Ferris.

Moose traced the history of tailgating, described tailgating customs of different areas and passed along tailgating tips from her book “Fan Fare: A Playbook of Great Recipes for Tailgating or Watching the Game at Home.”

She is a former food editor of the News & Observer and creator of the Raleigh newspaper’s popular Sunday Dinner column. She has written seven cookbooks, many devoted to single topics dear to the heart of Southerners: “Buttermilk,” “Deviled Eggs” and “Southern Holidays,” in addition to her tailgating book.

The tradition of tailgating likely began before cars even were invented, Moose said. Ivy League schools like Princeton and Yale claim credit for being the first to have sports fans enjoy a pre-game picnic meal that they packed in their horse and buggy, but the tailgate custom has flourished best in the South, she added.

“The spot that’s considered the ultimate tailgate spot by a lot of publications is the Grove at Ole Miss,” she said. In a grouping of trees in the center of campus, fans set up tents close together in a grid design and serve up Southern favorites from chafing dishes on tables with tablecloths and candelabras.

In an interesting twist, though, these Ole Miss tailgaters don’t actually use tailgates because cars aren’t allowed in the Grove.

In researching her book, Moose discovered that University of Washington tailgaters sail up to their picnic spots, that University of Hawaii tailgaters grill fish on hibachis, and that some tailgaters at the University of South Carolina have “Cockabooses,” old railroad cabooses tricked out with modern kitchens and other amenities.

Moose herself is a fan of keeping tailgates simple, preferring to make dishes like green bean salad, deviled eggs and fried chicken ahead of time. But the dishes should be homemade. “Don’t resort to the box or the barrel,” she pleaded.

Attendees sampled one her favorite make-ahead recipes–a nutty blue cheese ball. Food is important for good tailgating, she said, but so is the chance to socialize with her fellow Tar Heels in the Friday Center parking lot.