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Question of the Week: Favorite In-Game Snacks and Forum Favorites

There is a certain art to getting a munchie while watching a hockey game. Whether you are an in between period kinda person or a master at the commercial break person, it’s an art to choosing what to have.

And if you attend games, you know at any rink there are the places to eat.

So this week, the question I asked was:

Name your favorite in-game snack that you make at home or if you go to games, the best food in the Tampa Bay Times Forum?
After the jump we have the answers from our crew here at Raw Charge, Lightning bloggers Alexis and Nolan, and twitter friend @AustinBolts. Don’t live in Tampa? Well I’ve got you covered with recipe suggestions. Please do share your favorites on the question in the comments.

Clark Brooks – Staff Writer / Ridiculously inconsistent trickle of consciousness

At the arena- There’s a stand behind section 108 that has a deli menu (see photo). The sandwiches are very good but they take a while, especially if you want them heated. But the real draw here is the chili. Superb! Hit it early because they run out.
At home- Can’t beat the classics; pizza if you’re hungry and popcorn if you’re just nibbling.

Recipe suggestions for nibbling: Gooey Caramel Popcorn, Party Popcorn, or Kevin Bacon popcorn (Bacon flavoured popcorn – yes really)

Austin – @AustinBolts

Outback steakhouse has great burgers. Little Caesars large pizza is best value (if I have 2-3 ppl)

Party deck has a great steak sandwich and a “Cuban sandwich” with hot dog meat in it (that might be my fav actually!)

Recipe suggestion: The Ultimate Cuban Sandwich by Tyler Florence or Tampa Cuban Sandwich by Columbia Restaurant

Matt Amos – Staff Writer / Don’t Trade Vinny

WINGS.

My favorite thing to have during the game is a nice plate of hot wings. The hotter, the better. If you’re not sweating as much as the players, they’re not hot enough.

And yes, I go for it at restaurants. Blazin’ sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings, Buffy sauce at Showme’s, and whatever that sauce is at Hooter’s that they don’t even put on the menu.

When I make them myself, I’ve got a ghost pepper hot sauce that I make into a wing sauce. That stuff sucks, but man, it is good

Never hear of ghost pepper hot sauce? Neither did I, but I found it here

Alexis Boucher – Sons of Andreychuk

I developed a pretty regular routine when it comes to food at home games. The Mr. Empenada stand behind section 106 is a definite favorite. The Cuban sandwiches are tasty and the lines are never very long. Allow some extra time if you want your sandwich pressed, though. I go to get my food right after warm up skate and before heading up to my seat. I don’t like to leave my seat at all during the periods. It means facing longer lines at the ladies room during intermission, but that way I don’t miss a second of the game.

When I watch away games, sometimes I make my “game day nachos”. Tortilla chips, black beans, cheese, grilled chicken, salsa, and sour cream. The ritual came about during the 2004 playoffs and I’ll break them out when it seems like the team needs extra mojo. Needless to say, the nachos will be making an appearance during the next road trip.

Recipe suggestion: Super Nachos (Rachel Ray)
John Fontana – Managing Editor Raw Charge

I don’t have any food rituals.

Lame John. Maybe you should take a look at my recipe suggestions and adopt one.

Cassie McClellan – Managing Editor Raw Charge

Swedish Fish. For those that don’t know what they are, they’re a fruit-flavored gummy candy in the shape of fish that are made in Canada for the North America market. They really produced by a northern European candy maker, though. I like them, but I’m not actually a fanatic about it.
I’d made the mistake of trying to be funny – okay, I know I can leave it there, but continuing on – and protested loudly that I didn’t have any Swedish Fish for a game last season. And the Lightning didn’t do very well that game, naturally. So, now I’m required by our regulars on game threads to have Swedish Fish at all times.
But does that mean I’ll have to smuggle them into games I attend, too? I wonder. I tried to switch over to peanut M&M’s, but that doesn’t seem to have the same impact upon our fellow Lightning fans as Swedish Fish have. But they sure are tasty.
Anywho, our glorious leader John decided to take things one step farther. He had a season’s-worth of Swedish Fish sent to me about a month ago, much to my surprise. So you can’t blame me for the Lightning’s troubles now.
Now Swedish Fish have become sort of an inside joke on our site and among many of our community. Though, I’m not sure if anyone else partakes in the bounty that are Swedish Fish. And if I end up with diabetes, it’ll be all John’s fault.

If you don’t know what she is talking about: Wikipedia article on Swedish Fish. And for the liquids:

Swedish Fish cocktail recipe

Tina Robinson – Staff Writer
I’m more of an “in between period” kind of person, simply because every time I try to get munchies during the commercial breaks, something exciting invariably happens before I can get back to the TV….
My favorite munchie to have at home is either nachos (with the works) or tortilla chips with salsa con queso dip. Easy to fix, a jar of salsa (at whatever heat level you prefer) and a block of velveta cheese. Cube the cheese then melt in the microwave, stir in salsa, heat again and voila! an excellent dip for nacho chips! Now, if you want to get really fancy, you can make your own salsa first…
I don’t live within driving distance of the Times Palace (or Tampa Bay Times forum or whatever the heck they call it this week) so I can’t give you a best food to eat there, but Nachos have to be a favorite of mine at any hockey venue.

Recipe suggestion: See Tina’s answer

Nolan Whyte – Frozen Sheets Hockey

Because of my home situation, I tend to join games in progress, and usually just after a big meal. Typically I’ll get home from work, eat with the family, play with my son for a while, go through the put-to-bed process, and if I’m lucky I’ll be at my computer to listen to the internet radio broadcast of the third period. Sometimes if everything goes super-smooth I’ll catch some of the second period as well, or if the team is travelling outside of the Eastern time zone I’ll hear more.

Either way, I don’t eat at my computer and I don’t snack much after supper, so consumption is more liquid-focused. Often it’s a beer, sometimes an evening coffee. After the game there will usually be some leftovers eaten while I wait for highlights to appear on the sports sites.

And yeah, I know that hearing one period of a game on the radio is not much for a “responsible internet journalist” such as myself to base his opinions on, but it’s better than when I started following the Lightning in the early ’90s, which was only through box scores. How times have changed.

I would suggest beers here but I’m sure you’ve got this one covered already, right?

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