![]() January 9th, 2012
01:45 PM ET
Drew Robinson is the pitmaster at Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q. He previously wrote about serving up gratitude in trouble times and why barbecue matters and the the sacred ritual of the tailgate. We ran this piece in 2012, but it seemed worth surfacing again for the game this weekend. A good rivalry never dies. There are old traditions and then there are old football traditions. I had the fortune of witnessing one resurrected in my lifetime two years ago when Alabama played Texas in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship. But there are new traditions too. Alabama vs LSU is not a historic rivalry, it is only really a new tradition because they both have become superpowers in the same division of the same conference. So much so that they have beaten away all of college football for a rematch in the BCS game. How important is this game to each fan base? My grandfather was born and raised in New Orleans. He loved LSU. He loved Alabama too because that became his adopted home, but he never put the Crimson Tide above the Bengal Tigers. Both teams believe in dominance. They live that code. What happens on the field will prove who lives it with the most intensity inside of 60 minutes on the gridiron. I don’t know what the LSU fans do but what do we do? We sing "Sweet Home Alabama" with a solid "Roll Tide Roll" thrown in the chorus. And we cook pig. Barbecued hog, ribs, chickens. Meat - barbecued. The day kicks off with spicy Bloody Marys, which is a tradition of our crew for good luck. We cook and drink and listen to rock and roll music right up until it’s game time. We believe up until the final moment when we sing the Rammer Jammer - or we go home quietly. And well-fed. Read more about tailgating and cultural identity |
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MY KIND OF DRINK! AND A GAME PLAYED W A GOOD ATTITUDE FROM BOTH SIDES ADDS TO THE FLAVOR GIVES THE US A REASON TO GET UP AND KEEP GOING! BRAVO
I couldn't be happier! 90% of LSU fans need to be kept in the bayou with the rest of the reptiles. Way to go, Alabama! :)
i just met mike the tiger recently – http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/baton-twirling/ – i fear he'll eat me if i don't root for LSU
ROLL TIDE with Big ole MOON PIES. They don't do alot of damage.
It's not that I don't care, I'm simply apathetic.
But need to be noticed.
And you did.