Kaffy Mintcake

Ah - and it's hard to get tickets to see OSU - so more demand for tailgating. We went to a game earlier this year. The girl next to me had painted her toes in stripes of red and gray. Wow.

The_English_Bride

Yeah, I know what you mean. Obviously if you can get tickets then going in and watching the game is better. A lot of people tailgate before and after the game to get in the mood and, or celebrate too, though!

penguinsix

When I was in school we had a tailgate once and these guys pulled up with a beat up 1972 olive green station wagon and about five gallons of paint. They then drank a lot of beer and decided to repaint the car Orange and Blue (the colors of Illinois). Took them a lot of beer and a few hours, but when they were done creating the UofI death mobile they wrote on the side the memorable quote from Risky Business "Looks like the University of Illinois" (see the movie).

But anyway, I would strongly strongly suggest that any expat near a big college town try to go to a good tailgate party, just once at the least, to experience a great fall tradition in the US. You don't even have to go to the game but just spend some time out with friends eating and drinking. I think many would be surprised at the spreads some people prepare--some tailgates are just an amazing feast of good food. It's really something you should experience while over here.