A Day In The Life Of A Cat

Shamrock Shakeup

You all know I can't resist a history lesson on special days. Secretly...you love them. But don't worry, I won't make you say it out loud ;-)

The Americanization of St. Patrick's Day

You may want to go hunting for leprechauns this St. Patrick's Day, but don't expect to find one at the end of a rainbow clutching a pot of gold. And don't expect to find Irish people doing that either. Many of the traditions that are believed to have came from the Green Isle are actually....made up.

Irish people don't kiss the Blarney stone. The American myth is, if you kiss it, you will become an eloquent speaker.

Side note: "Blarney" means to speak eloquently. Bet you didn't know that.

Yeah, so Irish people didn't come up with that....it's an American thing. They also don't sit around eating corned beef and drinking green beer. Irish cuisine does include cabbage, but the meat served with it was more likely to be lamb or ham. Corned beef just happened to be a cheaper alternative for us here in the US back when we started celebrating the good green day.

"I've never seen green beer in Ireland." says Yvonne Ivory, a lecturer at San Diego State University who grew up in Dublin. "The corned beef and cabbage thing makes me laugh" she adds.

So if it isn't about beer and corned beef, what's it about?

"Traditionally in Ireland, the feast of St. Patrick is a celebration of the Christianization of Ireland," says Irish native Ninian Mellamphy, a professor of English at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. With a name like Ninian Mellamphy, you have to believe he knows what he's talking about!

It's typically a day devoted to church and a quiet celebration of Irish culture. No dancing around eating sharmrock shaped cookies. I say typically because there is, no doubt, Irish who stray from the traditional celebration and do drink Guinnes all day and then dance around in the streets like a leprechaun.

Okay, so what's all this about shamrocks and four-leaf clovers?

Another symbol of importance to the Irish is the shamrock. Americans often confuse the three-leaf shamrock plant with a four-leaf clover. Shamrocks and clovers.....not the same thing.

According to legend, St. Patrick used the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. Hummm. So it has nothing to do with being lucky I guess. Seems us Americans have missed the the shamrock point completely. Oops....

Alright, so we missed some of the important details.....okay, a lot of them. But who's to say that the Irish-American way of celebrating is wrong? If customs like corned beef and green beer aren't strictly Irish, who cares? Celebrate like an American, but just remember what it all really means ;-)

Corned Beef & Cabbage (that feeds an army and takes 7 days to make!)

1 pound kosher salt
2 gallons water, divided
8 pounds beef brisket
6 bay leaves
8 black peppercorns
1 onion, chopped
1 medium head cabbage, quartered
1 pound carrots, sliced
1 turnip, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
8 potatoes - peeled and cubed

1. In a large stainless steel or cast iron pot, combine the salt, water and brisket. Cover and let sit for 7 days in the refrigerator. (Note: brisket must be completely submerged, so double the salt and water if necessary.)

2. After 7 days, drain the brine and add 1 gallon fresh water, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low/medium low, and simmer for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

3. During the last 45 minutes of cooking, add the onion, cabbage, carrots, turnip, cilantro, and potatoes. Continue simmering until all vegetables are tender.

Enjoy.....finally.