Who would have thought that sitting in a lawn chair and stuffing a Polish down your gullet could contain such social significance?
That’s how Joe Cahn sees it. Mention tailgating, and Cahn can make it sound like the cure-all for social strife; the new medium for neighborliness
“It’s the new community social,” Cahn says. “We don’t talk to total strangers if we’re in an elevator. But in the parking lot, it’s open and honest. Some believe it has to do with food and breaking bread. The parking lot is just an extension of our kitchen.”
You see, Cahn is no ordinary tailgater. He’s the Tailgating Commissioner.
What exactly does a tailgating commissioner do?
He tests new grilling gadgets, passes on recipes and “eats a lot,” he says. A lot.
He also attends 45 tailgating parties at professional, college and high school games across the country, covering 30,000 miles by motor home in four months. He’ll be at Soldier Field on Nov. 21, when the Bears face Indianapolis.
But Cahn probably won’t go inside–he rarely does– because he gets too emotionally involved with each adopted home team. He’s satisfied watching the game outside on TV with the people “who can’t afford tickets. They just want to be close to the stadium.”
Who the heck is this guy?
Cahn, 56, ran a cooking school in his native New Orleans with his now ex-wife. He quit the business, sold his home and bought a 40-foot 2004 Monaco motor home dubbed “RV One.” Yes, like Air Force One because he’s also running for president. Did we mention that?
Cahn says he’s running for high office (although he hasn’t registered) because “the Republicans have a good party, the Democrats have a good party, but there’s no party as great as a tailgating party. We don’t worry about right wing or left wing. We worry about the buffalo wing.”
Yes, there’s more where that came from. Plenty more.
What makes Soldier Field tailgating special?
“I guess it’s the tradition,” Cahn says. “The Bears, the brats, Ditka. There’s many ethnic backgrounds. The food reflects it.”
Cahn also says that Bears and Packers fans have an intense tailgating rivalry, and both sides contend they popularized the back-lot barbecues in the pro ranks first.
“There is really no data except for the spoken word,” Cahn said. Bears fans say Green Bay restaurateurs picked up the concept when they came down for Bears games.
“The Green Bay people say, ‘Wait a minute, we’re the meat packers. We make the bratwursts,’ ” Cahn said.
” ‘You Chicago fans came up, saw us grilling and brought it back with you. You stole’d it.’ “
Bratwurst or Polish?
The Commish hedged and said both can be great depending on where you buy it and how it’s prepared. “Even a hot dog on a grill with friends is a lot better than a boiled hot dog by yourself,” he said. “I’ll tell you what. Whatever it is, I’ll have one of each.”
For more info, see www.tailgating.com.
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Edited by the sports staff of RedEye.
