From juicy, marinated chicken breast to tender flank steak, the food Cahn has sampled extends far beyond traditional tailgate food. Grilling is a versatile and simple cooking technique, Cahn says, which infuses food with an unparalleled unique, smoky flavor.

While many people enjoy grilling in the privacy of their own backyards, Cahn notes such privacy does not exist in the tailgating world. The velvety aroma of charcoal that once lingered at your patio door now reaches over an entire parking lot of sports fans. But a true tailgate is more than just a crowded mass of fans in a parking lot. It’s an inviting, massively oversized kitchen.

“The difference between friends and acquaintances is that acquaintances stay in the living room and friends come into our kitchen,” Cahn says. “I get to go into thousands of kitchens.”

Both Cahn’s website (www.tailgating.com) and Primeau’s website (www.packalope.com) offer an extensive list of recipes, each according to tailgating conditions.

Cahn also notes the unique opportunity that both tailgating and sports in general grant to the younger population of sports fans.

“We don’t allow young people personal opinion in politics … or in the venue of religion,” Cahn says. “In sports, we allow young people this great venue of having a personal opinion.”

Kevin Seifert, an ESPN blogger who covers the NFC North Division, credits the dismal state of the economy for the increasing popularity of tailgating.

“It costs so much money to go to an NFL game, and people want to get more than three hours out of their buck,” Seifert says. “If it costs you $75 just to get into a stadium for an NFL game and it’s a three hour game, you might as well figure out how to make it your entire day.”

Both Seifert and Cahn did not grow up in the Midwest. Year after year, they are repeatedly amazed by Wisconsinites’ willingness to tailgate despite harsh weather conditions.

“I’m always amazed at, no matter how cold it is, people are still out there,” Seifert says. “Obviously it’s pretty important to a lot of people.”

“Fans will come out in any weather to tailgate … whether it be raining or snowing or in zero-degree weather,” Cahn adds.

Although Primeau waited 30 years for his highly coveted Packers’ season tickets, his devotion to tailgating does not waver.

“If you’ve never been to Lambeau Field, get there. If only for the tailgate parties,” Primeau says.

The fact tailgating can stand alone as its own social event and may even be deemed superior to the actual game is a testament to its popularity. Like Primeau, Cahn encourages people to, at the very least, come experience the last great American neighborhood firsthand.

“For people who think tailgating is frivolous and don’t understand it and don’t understand sports in general or think football is a silly waste of time, I always say, ‘Don’t go to the game, come to the community social.’”