Hawkeye2j
12-13-2010, 06:28 PM
As a transplanted Buffalonian, raised on the smell of Buffalo wings and beef on Kimmelweck sandwiches at tailgate parties in western New York, the bar was raised high for my first visit to Gillette Stadium. I was skeptical that tailgaters meeting up at the home of the New England Patriots, in Foxboro, Massachusetts, just south of Boston, could match the passion and enthusiasm I saw among Bills fans when I was growing up.
I'm happy to report that Patriots fans can tailgate with the best of them, bringing their own unique brand of Beantown culture to the tailgating scene. After all, Forbes ranked Foxboro right alongside Buffalo as one of the best tailgating towns in America.
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For native New Englanders, the sights, sounds, and of course the food, don't stray far from familiar area staples. Tailgating in Foxboro (officially spelled "Foxborough") has been stamped with a unique blend of local culture which might be surprising to outsiders. If you're visiting Gillette Stadium from elsewhere in the country for the first time, expecting to find the usual open tailgates, beer coolers, and wings, you're in for a surprise.
Boston's long, celebrated fishing tradition is on full display at the tailgates in Foxboro. Any tailgate you turn to is virtually guaranteed to be serving up fresh seafood, some of which was caught by the very fans themselves. If you've spent time in Beantown, you'll find that much of the smells on the lot in Foxboro seem right out of Boston's best restaurants and hangout spots, with clam chowder and oysters among my personal favorite New England tailgate staples.
Luckily for me, the red, white, and blue Patriots team colors sprinkled throughout the lot make up a familiar mosaic for this Buffalonian. If nothing else, Pats fans can boast a particular kind of national pride, making good on the eponymous team name. If you come to the game wearing nothing more specific than national colors and an American flag, the fans in Foxboro will undoubtedly see you as one of their own.
As far as the effort that goes into setting up their tailgating, which is the not-inconsiderable necessity often taken for granted by friends and passersby, I can report that Pats fans take their tailgates as seriously as Buffalonians do. Once you settle on a spot in the parking lot at Gillette Stadium, you'll find the area quickly transformed into an impressive, canvas-adorned bazaar, with enough grilling, seafood, and beer to make you think you're at the Boston Fish Pier.
Besides the famous clam chowder being ladled out to hungry New Englanders, the natives put a classic area spin on deep-fryers, another tailgate staple. There's fried scallops, fried shrimp, and of course, fried clams, though plenty of tailgaters serve almost anything and everything deep-fried.
Jambalaya, another tried and true tailgating classic, is of course on the menu at tents and tables throughout the lot, filled to the brim with just about anything you can find in the sea. Different tailgaters will have their own unique versions of seafood jambalaya, though any helping you're fortunate enough to taste is certain to be unlike anything served at tailgates elsewhere.
So how do you prepare when you happen to find yourself in Foxboro on game day? Besides enough money to cover the (expensive) parking cost, all you need is a healthy appetite, a definite lack of seafood allergies, and depending on how far you've traveled, be prepared for the distinctive Boston accent because you'll be hearing it a lot!
*Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ycn-7355078
I'm happy to report that Patriots fans can tailgate with the best of them, bringing their own unique brand of Beantown culture to the tailgating scene. After all, Forbes ranked Foxboro right alongside Buffalo as one of the best tailgating towns in America.
AdChoices
For native New Englanders, the sights, sounds, and of course the food, don't stray far from familiar area staples. Tailgating in Foxboro (officially spelled "Foxborough") has been stamped with a unique blend of local culture which might be surprising to outsiders. If you're visiting Gillette Stadium from elsewhere in the country for the first time, expecting to find the usual open tailgates, beer coolers, and wings, you're in for a surprise.
Boston's long, celebrated fishing tradition is on full display at the tailgates in Foxboro. Any tailgate you turn to is virtually guaranteed to be serving up fresh seafood, some of which was caught by the very fans themselves. If you've spent time in Beantown, you'll find that much of the smells on the lot in Foxboro seem right out of Boston's best restaurants and hangout spots, with clam chowder and oysters among my personal favorite New England tailgate staples.
Luckily for me, the red, white, and blue Patriots team colors sprinkled throughout the lot make up a familiar mosaic for this Buffalonian. If nothing else, Pats fans can boast a particular kind of national pride, making good on the eponymous team name. If you come to the game wearing nothing more specific than national colors and an American flag, the fans in Foxboro will undoubtedly see you as one of their own.
As far as the effort that goes into setting up their tailgating, which is the not-inconsiderable necessity often taken for granted by friends and passersby, I can report that Pats fans take their tailgates as seriously as Buffalonians do. Once you settle on a spot in the parking lot at Gillette Stadium, you'll find the area quickly transformed into an impressive, canvas-adorned bazaar, with enough grilling, seafood, and beer to make you think you're at the Boston Fish Pier.
Besides the famous clam chowder being ladled out to hungry New Englanders, the natives put a classic area spin on deep-fryers, another tailgate staple. There's fried scallops, fried shrimp, and of course, fried clams, though plenty of tailgaters serve almost anything and everything deep-fried.
Jambalaya, another tried and true tailgating classic, is of course on the menu at tents and tables throughout the lot, filled to the brim with just about anything you can find in the sea. Different tailgaters will have their own unique versions of seafood jambalaya, though any helping you're fortunate enough to taste is certain to be unlike anything served at tailgates elsewhere.
So how do you prepare when you happen to find yourself in Foxboro on game day? Besides enough money to cover the (expensive) parking cost, all you need is a healthy appetite, a definite lack of seafood allergies, and depending on how far you've traveled, be prepared for the distinctive Boston accent because you'll be hearing it a lot!
*Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ycn-7355078