Taylor Takes a Taste » What I take will make you hungry

Umm Hello - not to go all valley girl, but, like, where’s the effin’ recipe?

DessertForTwo - Hi Taylor,

Just found out about you through Paula on Twitter (@bellalimento). I so enjoyed reading your tail gating posts! Your photos are absolutely gorgeous and they truly capture the spirit of this tradition! I’m so excited you’re going to be at Food Blog South! Hope I get to meet you

Christina

Annie - Hi Taylor!

I gasped when I found out that you are from North Carolina, take photos of what you eat and love food!!!! I wonder if there is a great community in the triangle area here that do the thing you do but for the past years I thought I was a loner when I carry my camera around, ask people to freeze until I am done photographing.

This is such a great post…I see this place whenever I drive by but have never tried. I will make a visit soon. Did you try anything else in Raleigh?

Andrea - As an NC local (non-native) I’ve yet to see this place, but I think it sounds like a lot of fun. Thing is I’m so picky I’d end up with beef or something I just don’t eat! Dang! Might try it just for the tots! YUM!

Mike Jehle (aka @THEKID_) - Great as always Taylor.

Have really enjoyed the posts this year. Best of luck on your book deal and count me in when it’s published!

Carlie - Boy, does that pulled pork look good! Found you via Foodgawker…and am now salivating all over my keyboard. I also like the breakfast sandwich/aluminum cup business. People are so inventive.

I’m glad you had fun at the game, but it sure does look bitter cold and I’m just as happy myself to have you go and me staying here, snug in my warm house, reading about it online. Go U of M!

Jackie Baisa - Sooo colorful! And I love the “walk”. Awesome shots, as always. And the deep-fried turkey looks incredible!

Ashley - Fun! Congrats on your goal to get a book published– what a unique idea with the tailgaiting & all! I look forward to the recipes:) I love your blog!!

Mike Jehle (aka @THEKID_) - Good luck with the book. Count me in!

Ben B - Awesome pictures! Great meeting you Taylor…hope you enjoyed grill trailer eatin!

Amanda - Yay! — I’ve been waiting to see this all week. I love your perspective on Auburn tailgating and am glad we got to see you (and make an appearance on the blog!). And that shot of Cam Newton? AWESOME!

Suzanne Hall - Awesome, thanks for the pics…I’m a TN Vols fan; but I’m very prooud to say Auburn is in my heart this year and I feel should be #1!!!
Best wishes, I look forward to watcing the rest of their phenomenal season!!!

David Cauthen - Thank you for the thorough, outstanding coverage of Auburn’s tailgating experience. Those of us who don’t often get to the games certainly appreciate your sharing this experience. Best of luck with your book. I look forward to seeing it.
David Cauthen, AU ’57

Regan - Wow. What a cool site, great idea, wonderful pictures… and the neatest idea (tailgate tour!) I stumbled onto your blog through a friend of a friend, and love it. Can’t wait to read about your next tailgate…. I’m a huge football fan (confession: I’m an Aub… so of course, I loved this tailgate the best), but I’m also a huge fan of the tailgate in general. Really… isn’t that where most of the memories are made anyway? Good job!

Seth Granberry - AUnicycleMan - Great pictures, I’ll look forward to seeing your book. ” WE
LOVE CAM-A-LOT” Seth Granberry “The Unicycle Man”
I’ve been ride my unicycle and jumping rope at “Tiger Walk”
for about the last 17 years. “War Eagle”
Seth

David - Great post. There is nothing even close to this in Carolina. You did miss one awsome Auburn tradition, the flight of the eagle before the game. Truly an amazing sight! War Eagle!

Amy in WA (Texas transplant) - A book!?! That’s fantastic – it would make a perfect gift for ANYONE in my college football obsessed family. Can’t wait to hear updates as you find a publisher. Best of luck!

Kerri - I’ve been looking forward to your Auburn visit on the tailgate tour all season long. I’m so glad you got to experience “The Loveliest Village on the Plains” and all Auburn has to offer. It truly is a wonderful place.

Its great to be an Auburn Tiger!
KS
AU Alumnae, 98 and 00

Terry Davis - We WANT that book when it becomes available.

Girl for tailgating - I love that you took pictures of the next morning. Everyone always sees the highlights of the tailgating party, but who actually gets to see the aftermath the morning after. The older man on the bright orange unicycle with pants to match was probably my favorite part of these photos! Any guy that feels comfortable doing that is awesome in my book.

Marg - The food is making my mouth water! If you go back for food you should make it to the the heart of Cajun country Lafayette (where I’m from) and New Orleans to round it out! Check out Swamp people if you want to see how they catch the alligators, not something I eat. You can always go do a swamp tour on an airboat. I’ve heard it’s a cool experience and you can get great photos out of it.

Are you going to rank the schools after you’re done? I’m curious how they rank.

Kaela - OOOH, I’ve been following your blog for a while – I just couldn’t wait for you to come down! All the other tailgates look fun, but I knew they had NOTHING on LSU. Yes! You’ll definitely have to come down again soon!

Monica McJunkin - Taylor,
I am very proud to say that you have truly captured the experience at LSU on gameday! I hope you had a wonderful time and come back soon! As we say….GEAUX TIGERS!

Tia - I can’t tell you how many memories this post has brought up for me. I agree with Monica- you really captured the essence of LSU on game day. Not only did you manage to pick up on some of the fantastic rivalry gear and the reasons behind it, the pictures of the food have me missing home even more (I grew up just outside of Baton Rouge and went to LSU). Thank you for the trip back home… through the internet.

geauxgrrl - Wish you would have visited our tailgate at the Ole Miss game. We had seafood gumbo, crawfish etouffee, boudin balls, BBQ brisket, and all the trimmings! Come on back & have some great food and some adult beverages! Geaux Tigers!

tigerfaninNOLA - Great work Taylor. It’s hard work explaining the scene in Baton Rouge on a game day and your pictures and commentary did a great job.

I don’t miss many games, but like some of the others that have commented, I still see Tiger Stadium through the eyes of a child. I can still remember walking around campus with my Dad (just like he’s done in the 40′s w his Dad) and being in awe of the sights, sounds, and SMELLS of campus. I can remember when students still lived in the stadium (was used as a dorm until 80′s….could be wrong but pretty sure the dorm aspect is what allowed then Gov. Huey Long to convince the legislature to build Tiger Stadium….thx Gov!!). I can remember the older lady that sat above us in the S. Endzone that hadn’t missed a game in decades and struggled like hell every Sat to get to her seat because of her age, the old men from “down the bayou” that sat in front of us and smoked pipes and spoke only cajun french to one another, the unbelievably loud guy from New Orleans above us that would scream until the 4th quarter when his voice was shot (amazingly never remember in all of his ranting and raving him ever slipping up and saying one cuss word), and most of all I remember this……the joy on my Dad’s face as he watched his two boys become absolutely and forever sucked into the passion of LSU Football and the magic of Tiger Stadium. There are great stadiums and “scenes” all over America on a Saturday in the Fall, but none of them compare to what we have. I’ve seen a bunch of them, but when it’s Saturday night in Tiger Stadium for a big game I often look around in between plays and just soak it all in. Even though I’ve gotten to experience it for the better part of the last 30 years, it still raises the hair on the back of my neck. My son will get to go to his 1st game next year and the picture that I’ll take of 3 generations of Tiger Fans will be something that will be treasured for years and years…….GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!

jackson sleet - Taylor,
thank you. a great story.
you have a picture of madeline ducote leading the tiger band.
here is a related story about the 11 yr old and her dream to dance w/ the golden girls.

http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20101129/NEWS01/11290323/1002/Pineville-girl-achieves-dream-to-dance-with-LSU-Golden-Girls

i will be shareing this with friends.

j

Todd Richards - Living in Omaha (and yes, I’m a Nebraska fan), we have seen over and over during the College World Series the love that LSU fans share for their teams – and their tailgating. Having been invited several times to come to their “turf” and see how things were done, we were finally able to make it happen. It just so happened it was for the LSU vs Bama game. And we were not disappointed. What a great atmosphere. It was hard to explain to people at home what the tailgating scene was like. And to top if off with an amazing football game was the icing on the cake. We certainly hope to go back again some day.

Great job on telling the story. I think you summed things up pretty well!!!!

Suzanne - Thanks for the pictures I have not been in several years, but I don’t miss a game on TV/radio. Wonderful pictures…..

Karen LeMoine Pitre - Love my Louisiana! Thanks for capturing 2010 for my memories. I’ve been there and done that! We’ll look back at the fashions & the captions as time goes by!

Jen Roth - Fabulous photos! Thanks for sharing and showing our traditions to the world.

Betty & Troy - This is great la. good time.never imagined !!!!

Mike C - Taylor,

great job, from a Tiger alum now living in North Louisiana. I am in the food business and your food photography is some of the best i’ve ever seen or paid to have done:)
this was my first trip to your blog, forwarded to me from a Tulane alum, i look forward to future reads.
Merry Christmas,
Mike

Jane Harmon - Taylor…what a great idea! Sure hope your book will be a success. I have no doubt! I am from Baton Rouge and attended LSU. Have lived in Augusta, GA for thirty years. I own a catering company, The Baton Rouge Chef, Inc. I never miss an LSU game on television. There is nothing like it. Tailgate food is fabulous, games are thrilling, stadium is beautiful and the fans…well, what can I say….THE BEST! I have enjoyed preparing creole food for the people of central Georgia so much…in fact am preparing crawfish stuffed mushrooms this evening, along with duck gumbo, deer sausage, smoked pork tenderloins, dirty rice, crab sardou, creme caramel custards creole pralines, etc., for a party I will be catering this weekend. Let me know if you visit UGA in Athens. My sons are graduates and love to tailgate.
Jane Harmon, The Baton Rouge Chef,Inc., Evans, Georgia

tom - Great pictures..we were there too and I see from your shots you were very near to us..we’re off Tower drive behind Sturgis Hall and have been for 6 years..Unfortunately you probably have the last great pics of a tradition that has been killed by the athletic dept…starting next year there will be a game by game charge of 40 bucks per car and 50 per trailer…you cant pay the fee before friday pm the day before the game although you can pay beginning 5 a.m. on game day…cost aside this arrangement makes the logistics of assembling even a modest group of tailgaters daunting.as no one knows for sure who will be able to park or not..this is especially difficult for those of us with out of state or out of town friends…so enjoy your pictures they may be collectors’ items as greed has destroyed the tradition you captured so expertly…

Bobby D - Taylor, Thank you for showing all the fun stuff that goes on at Tiger stadium before a football game. This is what i love about living in louisiana, the good food and great people that live here. How they can make a party out of any event and do it top notch. Plus to let most people who are interested in joining in and wanting to be part of the going on of the great south. … Laisser les bons temps rouler.

Brock - Taylor, we would be glad to convert you to an honorary coonass! I’m glad to see you had a good time and you’re welcome back anytime. Just where purple and gold so you don’t get a Tiger Bait! I loved your pics.

Mike McGrath - This makes me really homesick. I was born in BR in 1959, and a student there in the late 70′s. The football wasn’t as good then, but the atmosphere surely was! I hope to retire in a few years, and when I do, I plan to be a full participant in all of these activities!

Brei Delahoussaye - Taylor,
You did an amazing job! The only thing better than a day game in Tiger Stadium is a night game. You won’t hear a louder roar than when the announcer comments on the time of day in Death Valley! We aren’t huge fams of CBS down here because they keep moving our night games to day games. I personally am not a fan simply because I sit on the side of the stadium that gets the most sun. Anyway, I’ve been to most of the SEC schools, University of Washington, and Texas schools to catch a game and I can honestly say no one compares to LSU.

Julia RAmbin - Great photos, and a great subjects on game day !!!!

Paul Miller - If your nic name is Toddy, I would love to hear from you. About 45 years ago I worked with a Toddy Vincent in Shreveport, La. Years later, I visited with Toddy in his home in Baton Rouge and lost contact after that. Let me hear from you please.
Paul

Mike - I do enjoy BBQ but love buffalo much more. Buffalo chicken cheesesteaks, best sandwich ever! I’ve always wanted to search for the best buffalo style sandwiches and the different varieties!

Ned - BBQ tour sounds great, but also how about non-football tailgate tour? NASCAR certainly comes to mind, or the secret gem of steeplechase races. VA Gold Cup, Manor Races (MD), MD Hunt Cup, Camden (SC), PA Hunt Cup are all a blast!

Helene - If you do a BBQ tour? Holly molly!! Yes! Please do! I might take time off and join you!

Kate - Just as a note as to how important the GA/FL game is to newbies and veterans alike: the UGA and UF administration has tried for years to move the game and/or fall break so as to prevent the two from coinciding. When UGA moved fall break a couple of years ago in an effort to discourage anyone from going to the game, the uproar was so huge (including the actual withdrawal of support from endowed alumni) that it was immediately returned to its regular schedule. Professors actually cancelled classes ahead of time – since no one would be showing up anyway.

GO DOGS!

Kristen McManus - Look at you Louis…you’re so famous!!!

ryan @macarons - Great documentary of the rivalry between the two teams! Excellent photos and descriptions! Seems that you had a fun time! You should check out some other rivalries and their cooking…Texas vs. Oklahoma at the state fair would definitely impress ya!

ryan

Mary Mitchell Hartnett - Wonderful job T! 2 days straight of shooting was exhausting but I had a blast! So glad I could be your Gator guide, Shazam expert and light blocker and finally got a chance to see all that goes in to a post. Who took those wonderful shots of you? They’re amazing! Oh, and jorts on hot chicks don’t count. You certainly didn’t seem to mind those at the game…..;)

Cathy - Ha Ha what a great ending! Looks like you were in the right place all along, I have been so enjoying your escapades…..thanks for sharing the fun with us

Samma - Love this post! I am a native Knoxvillian and dedicated tailgater. We tailgate at Circle Park now, but G10 is where I spent most of my younger tailgating days. I love taking my boat too (just not driving it back). I can’t wait to see your post next week as well, because I’m a Georgia grad! A lot of UGA folks stay in Sea Island or St. Simons then take buses to Jacksonville. One year we took a limo which was amazing! I can’t wait to explore your blog- the Waspy Redhead sent it to me.

Gale Reeves - Love your VOLs cake!

Beth - As I was telling my husband about Food Blog South this weekend, I mentioned meeting you and about your tailgating tour, then I pulled up this post for him to read because he’s a UT alum. Since we started dating, I’ve been down to Knoxville to tailgate a few times, starting out on top of the parking structure, and most recently in Cirle Park. It’s definitely an experience like no other!

mallory elise - bahahaahaha, only you can make those blasted seasgulls seem romantic! i love that place, but i usually would just buy the chowder on the ferry. i grew up across the water from seattle (have to take the big ferry boats that are right next to Ivars to get to it) so whenever we would come to seattle for something, we usually ate there. always before a baseball game because its so much cheaper. its also the perfect place to go when you miss the ferry, which happens all. the. time. BRAVO the mooching seagulls are now famous

Spencer - This place look amazing. I love clam chowder and I bet the combo of the fried clams with the thick, creamy chowder is quite tasty. I really like the picture of the sea gulls lined up on the fence. What a great post!

mallory elise - yep, Taylor this is your best tailgating post, not because im biased or anything–but Seattle is the best city ever and Washington the best state ever and where else do people grill salmon whenever and wherever they can? glad you had fun and finally got in a boat

Trish - Awesome pictures!! It was great hanging out with you at our tailgate, best of luck on the remainder of your tailgating experience!

Kathryn - Hey! Just stopping by to let you know we’re giving away a signed Sandra Lee cookbook with 1,001 recipes over at Chew on That! We’d love for you to enter! The giveaway ends on Halloween, so hurry over!

Annie - I make the same jell-o shots for Colts tailgates! They are so much fun to consume that they are gone within minutes!

chloe - Wow you totally made UW look SO much cooler than it is!! haha I’m a senior this year @ UW and I haven’t once been to a tailgate party yet -___- FAILL on me. These photos are amazing and you really made Seattle/ UW look beautiful, thank you! =)

Glad you had a good time!!

SJ310 - The horse shoes game has become pretty common at UW now, but our buddy started it, calling it “Beer shoes”. Great game !

Anne - This is fantastic! As a UW Alum living in Atlanta, I really enjoyed this…one thing missing: The UW Marching Band. I thought they usually played after the game for the tailgaters, but could be if it was a night game it didn’t work out.