Annual Tailgate Keeps Tradition Going

"Two Japanee Bruddahs": A Nichi Bei Times column
By Kyle Tatsumoto and Keith Kamisugi

Students at the University of Hawai'i have just returned to classes, but even before blocking off dates for exams and parties, they're making plans for the upcoming football season and more importantly, the football tailgate season.

Kama'aina in the Bay Area are also making tailgate plans, except it won't be hibachi teriyaki, musubis and macaroni salad in the Aloha Stadium parking lot. We're going to Reno, Nevada. Ka-ching!

The University of Hawai'i Warriors take on the University of Nevada Wolf Pack on September 15 in Reno and the Hawai'i Chamber of Commerce of Northern California will be sponsoring its Third Annual Road Warriors Tailgate in connection with the game. You can bet da Two Japanee Bruddahs goin' be dea.

Even if you aren't from Hawai'i and you hate football, this is one event you are sure to enjoy. It's small kine different from the tailgates we're used to back home, but goin' get beer, ono food, Island music and planny green clothes - so going be good fun. (Japanee Bruddah Keet even goin' challenge Japanee Bruddah Kyle to one Nerf football game. Nah, maybe not.)

Back home, Aloha Stadium is the Mecca of tailgating. Tailgaters line up for hours before the parking lot gates open to secure the choice spots. And then, they get their friend to park two stalls over so a tent can be stretched between the two cars.

The stadium parking lot on home game weekends rapidly turns into a sea of cars, tents and green clothes. The air is filled with smoke and the intoxicating aroma of teriyaki steaks and shoyu chicken grilling on hibachis. And den, you get da small kids, running around all ovah da place, throwing the mini-footballs, thinking dey UH quarterback Timmy Chang. Urusai, I tell you...

Even if you blindfolded da Two Japanee Bruddahs and walked us up to any tailgating group, we could describe the scene perfectly: get couple aunties and uncles wearing green t-shirts, polo shirts, baseball caps, shorts and other UH apparel, relaxing on lawn chairs, listening to the pre-game show on the radio, playing poker or hanafuda and drinking Bud Light.

If they're UH students, it's the same scene, except they're not wearing all green and they're drinking Coors Light instead. Oh, yeah, and they're not listening to the pre-game show. Someone's playing a CD burned with MP3 songs downloaded from the Internet.

But whether the tailgaters are Class of '55 alumni or current undergraduates, the common denominator is the food. You are sure to find sushi, musubis, shoyu hot dogs, teriyaki everything, kim chee and - yup - the essential mac salad.

If you just arrived from another planet (or the Mainland) and didn't bring your own food, you can always get something to eat at the stadium concession stands. Of course, hot dogs, peanuts, spam musubi and fruit punch are standard. So are the teri chicken bowls, garlic fries, poi mochi and andagi, but now, you can even get Sam Choy's at the stadium!

You can select Sam Choy Poke Salad, Sam Choy Poke Wrap, Sam's Kaloko Salad or the Sam Choy Fried Poke Lunch Plate. (Sheesh, shmall kine commercial, eh? No fo'get your Sam Choy Napkin, Sam Choy Chopsticks and Sam Choy Shoyu! And watch out, da Sam Choy Cashier never give you back yo' Sam Choy Change, brah!)

Not bad, eh? You're definitely not at PacBell or Candlestick Park, that's for sure. Okay, so now, with all this talk about food, you like go Reno, tailgate with us, right? Good. We get all da information fo' you. Mr. Tailgate, Kurt Osaki, and the HCCNC have planned a great event.

The tailgate will be an all-day block party in downtown Reno on Saturday, September 15 at the Harrah's Reno Outdoor Plaza in downtown Reno. The fun starts with a pre-game party at 9:30 in the morning and ends at 9:30 that night, after the post-game party. Oh, yeah, there's a football game in between, at 1:00 p.m.

During the party, the crowd will be entertained with live music from popular Island music groups Imua and One Groove. All your favorite local foods will be there as well as $1 beer.

After the game, head coach June Jones and many of the players will join the party. (We hope we win.) Did we mention $1 beer?

Tailgate tickets are separate from the game tickets and there are also special prices on hotels and transportation. Visit the HCCNC website at www.hccnc.com/tailgate2001.htm or call (408) 894-6629 or e-mail tickets@hccnc.com for more information.

By the way, did we mention $1 beer?

Kyle Tatsumoto wen go Castle. Keith Kamisugi wen go Mililani. So wot?
Two Japanee Bruddahs is a monthly column in the Nichi Bei Times.

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