Today is St. Patrick's Day. The day everyone claims Irish decent, searches their yards for four leaf clovers, seeks the elusive leprechaun and his pot of gold, eat corned beef and cabbage and drinks green food coloring laced with beer.
Well, I don't claim Irish decent only on March 17th. I am Irish 365 days out of the year. My grandmother was born in Macroom, Co. Cork, Ireland. She had one heck of an accent and taught me the ways.
I'd like to dispel a few myths for you that irk me something fierce.
1. We don't eat corned beef. It simply isn't a food in Ireland. Cabbage...yea, lots of that...but corned beef is an American dish.
Our traditional food on this day is the usual fare....stew. Which is in the slow cooker as we speak!
2. Soda bread does NOT have raisins. Ok, I'm guilty of this because frankly...it's better with them. However it's not traditional. if your soda bread has raisins, it's actually called "Spotted Dog"
Real soda bread is bland and has very little, if any sugar. No butter and none of the extras to make it tasty. It's a filler. Dip it in your stew and it tastes good. Other than that....make Spotted Dog.
3. the only Green food item I can think of is cabbage. Green food coloring does NOT make something Irish. Seriously...that's like saying all Americans eat Red, White and Blue food. yummy, dyed blue hot dogs. Tasty. Get my point? Quite frankly, there is nothing appetizing about green food unless it's a vegetable.
4. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Not the patron saint of the beer keg. I grew up with this day being a religious holiday. Church, followed by a big family dinner....of stew. Think Thanksgiving....with soda bread and boxty pancakes.
5. The Irish do make a tasty beer. nobody can argue that. However, just because I'm Irish does not mean I'm a drunk. In fact, I rarely drink alcohol. A good Guinness is fine once in a blue moon...but I don't drink all that often.
6. That brings me to pubs. The pub is short for Public house. Where the town folk come to socialize. Drinking is optional, but just like any other culture alcohol is a part of it for many reasons including health! Children are allowed in the pub. Think of it as an old fashioned chat room with music and food.
7. Yes, potatoes are the staple of Ireland. So those of us of Irish decent have indeed eaten our fair share of potatoes. In fact, I can cook a potato 1000 different ways. You take away my potatoes, I'll break your face. that said, I also know the difference between russets, yukons, red Potomac and Jersey royals.
8. Dancing...."can you dance a jig?" Seriously? How stereotypica....yea, I can. However a jig is really just a set dance (you've seen Riverdance) of girls lined up with their arms board straight at their sides making happy clicking sounds with their fast moving feet. I prefer a Ceili. Group dancing. You know "the Waves of Tory" Oh, well, my second grader does...so there. On that note, when I was a kid Riverdance was just one of the many gender-bending thoughts in Michael Flatley's head. So I had to learn the hard way....from my family. Luckily for my little Clare, Irish dance was all the rage when she was born, so there are schools and Feis' and all the fun stuff that only happened in Boston until 5 years ago.
9. Someone said this to me not a week ago "The Irish and the English are basically the same"......deep breath.......find a happy place......No, they are not. I won't go into the Catholic vs. Protestant debate. You are intelligent people, if you want to know....go forth and seek. I will simply say, that statement is like saying America and England are the same. Why did they bother with that silly revolution?
10. We are devoutly religious. My Grandmother crossed herself a good 752 times a day. Had a prayer for everything from waking up alive in the morning to making bread to tying her shoes. No joke. Being deeply religious also lends itself to being deeply superstitious. I remember being tossed outside when I was a girl because I was whistling in my Grandmothers kitchen. It's bad luck for a girl to whistle in a house. If you find a four leaf clover (a real one, not a hybrid) always keep it on you and never show it to anyone! Bet you didn't know that one!
Have fun today. Take some time to remember why we celebrate the day and go to the local pub. Enjoy a Guinness without the food coloring. Try some soda bread and stew. Put on your green and enjoy the day.
Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone
Beannachtai Na Fheile Padraig!
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1 comment:
As someone who is Irish and English, (and Italian...how the hell did THAT get in there?), I can vouche that they are NOT the same!
Not even close.
And yes, I've eaten entire fields of potatoes in my lifetime. In fact, I just got done eating potatoes before I started to read blogs for the evening.
And let's not forget the Irish sense of humor. It can be a delight to ask for directions.
Lost Person: Excuse me, sir, can you tell me how to get to Co. Antrim?
Irish Dude: You see that road there?
LP: Yes.
ID: Don't take that one.
I forget what movie that was in but it is true Irish fashion. It wasn't until after I saw that movie that I realized just how often I do that sort of thing myself.
Some things are taught to us and some things are just born in us.
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