$100 Chicken Nuggets, $23 Cocktails! US Open’s ‘People’s Slam’ turns into life-style carnival – See Pics | Tennis News

Once celebrated as tennis’ “people’s slam,” the US Open has reworked right into a high-octane life-style carnival — the place attending is much less in regards to the sport and extra about being seen sipping a $23 Honey Deuce or Instagramming a $100 plate of caviar-topped rooster nuggets.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Every August, New York’s remaining Grand Slam rolls into Queens with a spectacle that now extends far past forehands and backhands. Fans parade their consumption: lobster rolls at $40, connoisseur ramen shrimp scampi, rye cookies, and above all, the Honey Deuce cocktail — a vodka-lemonade combine adorned with frozen honeydew “tennis balls” — now an unmistakable image of the Open. In 2023 alone, CNBC reported over 550,000 Honey Deuce cocktails offered, producing $13 million. Despite six value hikes since 2012, its recognition has soared, a phenomenon dubbed “funflation” — the place Americans, even whereas complaining about grocery costs, splurge on experiences.

If Wimbledon’s strawberries and cream symbolize understated custom, Flushing Meadows has leaned into over-the-top indulgence. Michelin-starred chef Simon Kim, whose Korean steakhouse Coqodaq dazzles Manhattan’s elite, was invited to convey his creations to the Open. His much-talked-about “caviar nuggets” embody the fusion of intellectual and lowbrow. “Chicken nugget is the most common food. Caviar is the highest brow. We mixed the two to make something special that’s available to everybody,” Kim informed CBS.The menu additionally contains Gangnam-style rooster sandwiches and mango mahi tacos. Supplier Pat Lafrieda defined, “Food is reflective of the city — beef, chicken, pasta, ramen, Japanese — it’s variety that mirrors New York itself.”But the meals spectacle has spiraled right into a sideshow. New York Post reported teams stacking Honey Deuce cups into towers round stadiums, turning the Open right into a frat-style carnival.

Even gamers are leaning into the tradition. Jessica Pegula posted a selfie with the cocktail after her semifinal loss, whereas doubles finalist Taylor Townsend swigged one at her press convention. The drink, very like the mint julep on the Kentucky Derby, is now synonymous with the Open.What was as soon as an accessible celebration of tennis now appears like a cultural pageant the place the value tags themselves are a part of the spectacle. The Guardian described it because the “Coachella-fication” of tennis: celebrities, influencers, trend traits, and Instagram posts typically overshadow the precise sport.For purists, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dueling for supremacy may stay the primary draw. But for a lot of at Flushing Meadows, the primary story of the US Open lies within the carnival of consumption — the place caviar on nuggets and vodka in collectible cups take middle stage.