Food & Football: Hurricanes’ Guide to Tailgating Florida State University

The Miami Hurricanes had their first test on the road last week under the Friday Night Lights against Duke, and aced it with flying colors with a score of 31-6. The Canes will have a midterm exam this Saturday when they head to Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Stadium to take on their biggest rival, the Florida State Seminoles. If you're not making the trip to the capital of Florida for the (as of now) 3:30PM ET kickoff, a watch party is the only option. Before we get into the Game Meal, let's see what we can learn about FSU.

Usually, this is when I give a little history of the school like when it was founded (1851), or some facts about the football team, like its mascot (Chief Osceola and his Appaloosa horse Renegade). But, I am not. Today's history lesson is also the inspiration for this week's Game Meal so pay attention and take notes. Follow me back, back into time, to the year 2013. FSU was coming off of a 12-2 ACC Championship season and they were poised to make a run for a BCS Championship. For all those in Tallahassee and fans of the program, it was a period of unicorns and rainbows except for one Teacher's Assistant, Christina Suggs.

According to the New York Times, Suggs reported to the State of Florida Inspector General that she felt pressured by the department chair to give athletics special breaks in class. These breaks included opportunities to rewrite papers that were previously plagiarized, make up missed or incomplete tests, and/or extending deadlines for projects that weren’t offered to non-student athletes. The chair, deemed these breaks necessary because as he allegedly stated, they are “star players” on the football team. This case of academic favoritism involved 6 players, including Kelvin Benjamin and James Wilder Jr.

The Inspector General ultimately turned the investigation over to FSU which shockingly found no evidence of wrongdoing and claimed her complaints were without merit. By happenstances, Suggs was fired as TA, the department chair (Mark Bonn) stepped down, FSU tightened standards on online courses, and FSU won a National Championship.

Good Food:

Now, I know you're asking yourself "what does this have to do with the Game Meal?" Glad you asked! This scandal stemmed from an online Hospitality Management (HFT) course covering coffee, tea and wine. Based on FSU’s class directory, two courses offered under the Hospitality and Management major that fit this description are HFT 2060 “Coffee, Tea & International Culture” and HFT 2062 “International Wine & Culture”. So, for the meal, I give to you my first lesson in HFT 2060, Coffee BBQ Ribs!

Good Drinks:

For the drink and our final lesson, we will be delving deeper into course 2060 and 2062, and learning about the interrelationship between tea and wine with a Raspberry Mint Sweet Tea Sangria. It’s perfect for starting that early morning tailgate or in the afternoon right before kickoff.

Be safe Canes Family and drink responsibly! For full recipes see “2017 Hurricanes’ Cooking Guide”