The joy of ballpark food : from hot dogs to haute cuisine

Baseball is a game that is identified with food. We even sing about it at every ballpark during the seventh inning stretch: "....buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack..." The famous song was written by Jack Norworth in 1908. From the early part of the twentieth century until the 1980s, classic baseball fare consisted mostly of hot dogs, ice cream, peanuts, and Cracker Jack. Then ballparks slowly began to sell new items. A proliferation of new food offerings during the 1990s was fueled by the opening of twelve new major league ballparks. Now, teams around the country sell a variety of exotic food as well as wide variety of hot dogs. The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine begins with the history of the first hot dog at a ball game and concludes with a culinary tour of all 30 major league ballparks. 100% of royalties from the sales of this book are donated directly to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties of California Introduction -- The hot dog comes to America -- The hot dog comes to baseball -- Harry M. Stevens -- Hot dogs vs sausages -- Take Me Out To The Ball Game -- Cracker Jack -- Peanuts -- Old-time food offerings and prices -- The start of the new food era -- Nachos and garlic fries -- Healthy and vegetarian options -- Kosher food and knishes -- Official cheese doodle of the New York Mets -- The big six and the business of concessions -- Colorful vendors -- Culinary tour of the major league ballparks -- Conclusion -- Sources.