There’s no question about it: 2020 was a rough year for sports. The global pandemic caused numerous venues to either shut down entirely or drastically limit the number of fans at every game.
While stadium doors were shuttered and the bleachers were mostly empty, the game — whatever it was — played on. As quickly as they could manage, football, baseball, soccer, and hockey leagues alike adapted.
So did the fans. As various sports leagues moved to give their fans access through streaming channels and pay-per-view options, fans responded by hosting small viewing parties at home with just their family members or limited circles of friends.
Game day at home can still feel as genuine as a day at the ballpark, but only if you pay attention to the most critical detail: The food.
Why Is Stadium Food an Essential Part of Game Night?
Humphrey Bogart was famously quoted as saying, “A hot dog at the game beats roast beef at the Ritz.” Why — and how — could that be true?
It all comes down to shared cultural experiences and the way that food bridges gaps and brings people together. No matter who you are (or who you’re rooting for), you have to eat, right?
Ballpark food, however, has become a feast unlike no other, and food is a huge part of the stadium experience. Sure, you can get a hot dog while you’re waiting for the game to start, but bags of roasted peanuts, soft pretzels, ice cream sandwiches, and loaded nachos are not exactly standard restaurant fare — and neither is caramel corn.
Why Is Caramel Popcorn Central to the Game Day Atmosphere?
No Game Day is complete without the scent of freshly-popped kernels of corn in the air and the sweet odor of caramel wafting through the crowd.
Caramel popcorn has long been a feature at ballparks and was even immortalized in the lyrics of the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” way back in 1908, As such, it’s become deeply embedded in the American psyche as something that simply belongs at sporting events.
How Can You Recreate an Authentic Game Day Experience at Home?
Hot dogs are easy enough to make, and you can load up a plate of nachos with all kinds of fixings for your family or guests, and you can buy caramel popcorn to serve by the bag or by the bowl for added authenticity.
At Gary’s Caramel Corn, they make old-fashioned caramel corn in small batches over open gas fires, so we asked their advice on how to recreate that ballpark smell at home. Their suggestion was to buy a jar or two of the caramel and put it to good use.
“Our jars of old-fashioned caramel are perfect when heated and mixed onto microwave popcorn, but you can also serve it as a dip for apples and over ice cream,” we were told. That would almost immediately trigger the olfactory center of your brain and signal, “Game on!”
It may be a while, still, before sporting events return to normal. Until that time, however, you can do a pretty good job of recreating the sights, the sounds, the taste, and the smell right in your own home.