My husband and I happened upon two extra tickets to the LSU vs Auburn game, so we invited our twin granddaughters, Margaret and Catherine, to join us.
Immediately, Margaret wanted to know if we were going to Uncle Fritz’s tailgate in the large tent by the stadium. I had to remind her that he was out of state catering, and, with COVID, I wasn’t sure if the university was allowing large gatherings. I told them that we would pack a picnic and eat before the game. In a horrified voice she said, “What do you mean? Are we going to eat out of the back of your car?” She just couldn’t imagine!
One of my fondest memories as a child was preparing to tailgate with my siblings and parents at an LSU game on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.
Tailgating preparations were taken on with military precision that would make a general proud. My father and brother would take one car across the ferry early in the day to secure a good spot near Alex Box Stadium, while my mother, sisters and I prepared ham and cheese po-boys, fried chicken and potato salad. Dessert was usually a lemon-glazed sheet cake.
Finally, my parents and the eight of us kids would load the station wagon and get in line to ride the ferry across the river from Plaquemine to Baton Rouge. There was no battling the traffic on the “new bridge” at that time, but crossing on the ferry was closer and it added to the excitement.
As soon as we arrived at our “reserved spot,” the tailgate was lowered and our meal was spread for everyone to enjoy. If we were playing Tulane, a train would pull up next to the parking lot and people would pour off the train and walk to the stadium while the parking lot crowd yelled, “Tiger bait, Tiger bait!”
Once our tailgating meal was over, the whole parking lot of people would make their way to Tiger Stadium. Our family knew three of the players so seeing Chapman Lee, Pops Newman and Charlie Moore win a game was extra exciting.
After the game, tailgating continued while we waited for traffic to clear. I will never forget the fun we had sitting and visiting near the tailgate of our station wagon.
These days, my son, Fritz, is a a caterer for Catering Cajun. His “tailgating” is under a huge tent next to Tiger Stadium. He serves up a feast for LSU fans including a whole smoked alligator for the Florida game, chargrilled oysters, smoked salmon, pork tenderloin, seared tuna over pineapple/mango salsa, micro-greens, seafood pasta salad, hot roast beef sliders and jambalaya. While Fritz’s tailgating party is the only tailgating my granddaughters have experienced, I assured them that our tailgate meal would be special, too.
We have updated my family’s usual tailgating fare to include ham-and-Swiss pinwheels, sushi, hummus with vegetables, grilled alligator, stuffed eggs and nuts. We will include a lemon-glazed sheet cake for old time’s sake.
Whether tailgating is held in a huge tent or at the back of a car, one thing remains the same … everyone enjoys Saturday night in Tiger Stadium!
— Carville lives in Plaquemine
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