Funny thing the written word, you think you've made a solid, factual case. Succinct and focused. And your words just whiz right past your target audience's brains. Let's give it another go:
It appears we need to clarify a few things w/r/t the tailgate, food and, financial contributions.
First, a bit of history: Everyone should understand that Chris and I NEVER asked to be the un-compensated caterers for the tent. In the early years or, Brunchgates, I was preparing extensive menus because I was usually inviting 10-15 folks as my guests (In fact, it was in this way our group was initially formed) and, usually had enough to feed other tent members too. I had no expectation of being compensated. Then, as our group expanded, Chris and I began coordinating in order to share the workload of food prep for the “main course(s)” and a couple of side items, while everyone else contributed other side items. Well, what we saw was that our stuff got totally devoured, while the various side items, which were usually store-bought, went, for the most part, untouched. Again, we had no expectation of getting paid.
So, we simply asked people to reconsider bringing store-bought stuff just so they could check the “we contributed” box. Let's look at what I said back during the dark days of '09:
Well, in response to this request the other members of our group appointed us, by default, as "the cooks" because EVERYONE (with a rare, few exceptions) just stopped bringing food altogether and started relying on our menu and preparation. Our hope was that instead of paying the $10-$20 to the grocery stores (or Panera/Bojangles et. al.) they’d drop that cash in the Tip Jar and it would be a win-win-- more donations meant we could prepare higher quality food, in the necessary quantities, and folks could simply relax and enjoy the day.First, if you're unsure what to bring- please stop bringing the generic, soul-less foods. If you don’t like, or don't have time, to prepare something at home- that’s okay! Just bring your Beverages of Choice (BoC) and settle in for a bangin’ good time. Please- DO NOT bring cookies/chips/cheese doodles from the <insert grocery store name here> just to bring "something". (This request does not apply to “specialty foods” i.e. food from a great local deli/bakery/pastry shop, confectioner).
How about saving time and the hassle by dropping some coin in the “Contribute” Jar. There are two great reasons for this request; 1) most of you (no offense nor blame intended) have no idea how much of that stuff gets thrown away during load-out. We give away as much as we can to the students, etc. but, still a great deal gets discarded as waste and; 2) Instead of paying Harris-Teeter $6 for some soul-less cookies, drop a few bucks into the “Contribute” jar and, voila!, the gruel we usually serve goes up a notch. ;) (Think: fresh roaches in the chili! And, of course, more Dead Ants!)
But, apparently, some members of the group have decided that the experience is only worth a couple of bucks per-person, per-game. And, even a minor donation can be avoided provided they donate something food-related to the effort. Here’s the problem with that line of thinking: These food donations are appreciated and, I’m certain, immensely enjoyed. Unfortunately, those efforts don’t do anything to reduce the expenditures and efforts Chris and I incur. Nor do they even begin to approach the quantity of food required to satisfy our crew. Just like your <insert donated food item here>,was completely consumed, so was all the food we prepared. However, we spent a great deal of our money, in advance, and probably 30+ hours of time just to plan and execute the meal. We’ll leave aside, for now, the leg-work involved with hosting the tailgate.
If the argument is that all the tent members want is pot-luck/drive-thru type tailgate, then somebody should have said as much. It would have saved Chris and I a shit-ton of time, money and, effort. I'd hate to see that happen (if for nothing else it makes clean-up a bloody nightmare) but, if that's what the group prefers, then so be it.
And, about that leg-work...yes, Chris and I love tailgating, something we consider a labor of love. We take pride in being the first to arrive and the last to leave (which is only one of the reasons why the TBCC tent has such a sterling reputation on BDA, among the Duke Football staff and, the Duke PR folks) but, it's a ton of work. Add-in preparing a decent meal for 53 of your closest friends and the work goes up exponentially.
We plan and prepare so all y'all gotta do is walk-up, sit down and get your party on. Then, at the end of the day- y'all just grab your chairs and cooler(s) and go on your way. And, while we enjoy hosting, it's been very disheartening the last few years to count-up the proceeds of the Tip Jar and find ourselves not even being reimbursed for the food costs, much less the effort we put forth. This is something that will not continue.
I'll close with one final point, one I've made before but, it bears repeating: Anywhere else, for what you enjoy at our tailgate, would be worth north of $30 per-person, per-game. If all your willing to pay is your tent fee plus $5, then you'll soon have a tailgate which reflects that level of expenditure.
</soapbox>
Alright, now on the menu for the Battle of the "Basketball" Schools!
TBCC (+7):
Breakfast/Brunch: Coffee Cake with Brown-sugar Pecan Streusel;
Appetizers: Pimento cheese w/crackers and veggies, Chipotle Hummus w/garlic bagel crisps, Wings & ABTs;
Guest(s) of Honour: 40 lbs of bone-in, spice-rubbed Prime Rib, slow-smoked over Maple, Grilled shrimp;
Sides: Tim's Baked Beans, Grilled potatoes with garlic & Rosemary, grilled green beans and Asparagus;
Bread: Honey Whole wheat rolls;
Desserts: Chocolate chip cookies, Brown-sugar cookies, Chocolate Crack-ups;
Beverages: Water, tea and Spicy Bloody Marys, sampler brews and one homebrew bomber
Ozzie + Talklady- homemade peach cobbler, $;
AM (+5): $;
ChipSlate + TigerDevil- drinks and dough;
30Scheyer (+4)- Fruit salad, green bean salad;
LG (+1)- $ and maybe tasty white chocolate candy corn M&M cookies;
VDB (+1)- $;
Cheermom (+5 and a bunch of cheerleaders)- Chicken in a balsamic marinade to be grilled, Double batch of green salad with walnuts, craisins, and gorgonzola or blue cheese, Deviled Eggs, Vegetarian Pasta Salad, Fruit
Brownies in honor of cheer daugther's birthday on Sunday
CathyCA (+1)- $;
AW- Water & greenback(s);
DD (+5)- Corn casserole, $;
CrazierTT (+3)- Sweet, sweet kay$h;
DPSLaw (+3)- Gold bullion;
Total attendance=51 + a gaggle of cheerleaders.
Beat Kansas!
