Thoughts for the parking lot
Posted By The Cigar Soldier on September 3, 2010
The last preseason game for my beloved Packers is in the books and that means NFL Kick Off Weekend is just around the corner. 
I love getting up early on Sunday mornings to pack up the grilling gear and coolers into the truck before making the trek to Lambeau Field for a solid three and a half hours of hardcore tailgating, beer swilling, bratwurst eating and cigar smoking. The smell of thousands of grills going all at once is enough to make any real man happy.
It’s a real treat to enjoy the games but some of my best moments have been in the parking lot sharing the pre-game ritual with the other thousands of fan-actics there supporting their team in their own unique fashion. There is an “art” to tailgating and my years of setting up and tearing down our makeshift outdoor kitchen, usually in a half drunken state, has blessed me with some insight on how to do it up right. I don’t want to chastise anyone that takes part in the ritual of tailgating but there are some simple rules that if you are a real man you must follow.
First and foremost, cigars are part of tailgating so don’t hesitate to light one while the grill is heating up. Depending on how well your team plays that day, you may or may not be able to burn a celebratory stogie afterwards so why risk it? You brought extra sticks so go ahead and torch one up! Which brings me to another very key point in that first statement, GRILLS my boys, real grills are what you cook on when tailgating! Not some George Foreman thingy or one of those hot griddles your grandmother makes pancakes on. Fire, whether by propane or charcoal is the only way to cook a pregame feast and that is a pure and simple fact handed down to me by men who charted those waters years before my existence. Just because some weirdo sautes bean sprouts in a white wine reduction sauce on his portable hibachi doesn’t make it right for tailgating. Steaks, burgers, chicken wings and an endless variety of sausage is what should be searing and smoking on your grill while you guzzle cold beer and puff 
your cigar.
My exception to those basic rules are of course anything that is deep fried, contains large amounts of cheese or was marinated in Jack Daniels. I do have some amendments to my code of tailgating especially for the brutally cold winter games that we deal with here at the Frozen Tundra. When the mercury dips into the single digits or less it’s hard to top a batch of home made chili or big bowl of chicken booyah to warm up your insides. My other option is simply to park the truck and walk into one of the many bars and let them do all the work for me. If it weren’t for that stupid fucken statewide smoking ban that last option could possibly top all the others but since I still have to enjoy my pre-game cigars in the great outdoors, I might as well be stoking a bed of hot coals with a cold beer in hand with the rest of the real men.
Join The Brotherhood for our next Cigar Night on Tuesday September 7th at Titletown Tobacco to share a few of your best tailgating stories and talk football with the rest of the self proclaimed experts of the gridiron. Just remember that it is a privilege to have our gatherings within the private lounge area so I really shouldn’t have to remind you guys to keep the place cleaned up after yourselves and to show your appreaciation to the guys for their generosity by picking up a few sticks from the humidor to help pay for keeping the lights on and the cable bills paid so we have such a classy place to hang out. Hell, even better if you get a year membership that allows you 24 hour access and unbelievable deals but at least for now grab a cigar or two for the evening.
Don’t forget that I’m still offering up FREE cigars to any member that signs up a new recruit into the ranks of The Brotherhood. Bring a guest and lets see how many new members we can get before the end of the year. Whoever brings in the most new members will also get a grab bag of goodies for their hard work at our annual Christmas party. Man, I’m a super great guy to you bums!
One more quick thought for you guys. As much as I enjoy my pre-game warm up in the parking lot, there are still some things you don’t want to miss inside the stadium.
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend my Brothers and I’ll see you all on the 7th.
The Cigar Soldier
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