Two Hot Dog Nights at the Ballpark

By Craig T. Hunt RDN

Last week’s Fireworks Night at the Spokane Indians baseball game attracted over 5,000 fans. The fans were jubilantly united when the song “Take Me Out to the Ballpark” began playing. One of the lyrics “…buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack” relates the importance of food in baseball culture. Baseball also carries a certain level of tension, which the players relieve by chewing gum, tobacco, or sunflower seeds. In the stands, fans relieve tension and hunger by chewing hotdogs, nachos, ice cream, Kettle Corn, cotton candy, and/or red vines, to name a few of the goodies available at the park.  

Because many of the evening games begin around dinner time, fans arrive predictably hungry and thirsty, making it all too easy to consume two hot dogs and beer for dinner. Before you make it a two-dog night, consider other more nutritious ballpark options.  For example, Spokane’s Avista stadium offers teriyaki bowls (chicken, vegetables, with noodles), and Longhorn Barbeque offers grilled chicken, baked beans, pulled pork-sandwiches, and potato salad. At Bruchi’s you can order a turkey sandwich.

 My favorite ballpark snack is sipping on a local draft beer paired with some roasted in-shell peanuts. Sipping on water throughout the game helps you avoid becoming dehydrated, especially during a long summer game when the sunlight dims, the lights come on, and the fireworks light up the sky “…at the old ballpark”.