Are you "celebrating" St. Patrick's Day?

[TwoMisfits]

Mass here.

Normally, I make corned beef, mashed potatoes, and roast cabbage, but I really was not feeling corned beef this year.

So, instead, I let my daughter make a homemade roll cake - vanilla matcha cake with coconut matcha frosting and cranberry spread. No idea if it will be good, but it's definitely the festive green. And after Mass, that's enough for me this year.

 

[leebee]

@Bad Pink Tink 2.0 Thanks- that looks like a great meal. I have to admit, I have never heard of a loin of bacon or have any idea where to buy such, which is too bad, as I'd like to make this. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mjkacmom]

My daughter just sent me a video from Malta, she’s having so much fun because it reminds her of our local Saint Patrick’s day celebration, this is a screenshot.

 

[fly girl]

Anyway, Irish boiling bacon is tough to get in the states, even today - I have to order in bulk so I can have it throughout the year. I prefer it. Corned beef is everywhere and cheaper.

BINGO!!!

I remember being told last year to make that.

My answer still remains that there is no way I can because in my area you cannot get that cut of meat! I don't understand why this recipe is given again this year. That cut is extremely rare (near impossible for some) to get in the US. Why that crucial nugget of information doesn't register, I simply don't understand. Like talking to a brick wall.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Today I'll make corned beef and cabbage, with potatoes, carrots, turnip (actually rutabaga) and parsnips for dinn

Gotta have the parsnip! I used the small turnips instead of the rutabaga this year

 

[disneychrista]

I will be celebrating by having stew and Irish brown bread for dinner. I also added splash of Irish Cream in my coffee this morning. I will be making a milkshake later with Irish cream, Hershey syrup, creme de menthe & a couple thin mint cookies.

 

[ronandannette]

There was a reason I put the word "celebrate" in quotation marks.

I wonder if "celebrating" anything is a reflection of where one grew up or lives. I grew up in the Boston area, and St. Patrick's Day was a "big deal." Boston has always been proud of its Irish heritage (even though we could argue how immigrants were treated- should at least acknowledge/discuss it). There is no way we'd miss our corned beef and cabbage (also known in the area as boiled dinner, and sometimes made with a smoked shoulder instead of corned beef) on March 17th. I know that's not how the day is celebrated in Ireland, but it's how I grew up, and I love corned beef and cabbage, it's on sale at this time of year (if $3.59 a pound for a fatty cut of meat can be considered a "sale" price), so I make it for dinner AND put one in the freezer for later in the year. I know the Irish don't make a big deal out of having green beer/greena coladas/Irish coffee OR corned beef on St. Patrick's day. Hence the quotations.

It's kind-of like Mardi Gras. I always knew it existed in NOLA, but never really thought of it unless there were pictures of Fat Tuesday parades on TV. Then my sister went to school in NOLA and stayed in the area, permanently, and I learned that Mardi Gras is actually a spin off of Carnivale, celebrated in a lot of the world. Now we at home have red beans and rice or jambalaya or something similar on Fat Tuesday. Why? I don't know, but it's fun to recognize another culture. I suppose we often misinterpret how it should be done (can't easily get andouille in northern Maine, hahaha) but it's also interesting/fun to acknowledge other countries and that most of us who live here have original heritage from somewhere else.

Anyhow... I'm off to figure out how long to simmer a 5 pound corned beef and plan out when I have to start everything if we want to have dinner around 6pm. Hope everyone enjoys their day.

Absolutely! Other than as a marketing gimmick for bars and McDonalds (Shamrock shake, anyone?), St. Patrick's Day is really not much of a thing at all here. This area was, of course, originally populated by indigenous people and then settled predominantly by Scots. For the northern half of the province it was Eastern Europeans. To this day, there's nothing much for Irish influence and those who are, are probably 3rd or 4th generation Canadian by now.

 

[fla4fun]

I am not, so far as I am aware, of Irish descent, nor do I practice any of the religions who call him a saint, so I am not celebrating the holiday. I am not even wearing Irish colors (ended up in blue and purple today). I did not grow up near an Irish-American neighborhood, so I am not accustomed to the parades, the foods, or other traditions. I remember as a child wondering why a man who wasn’t born in Ireland was so celebrated by the Irish. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned more about his history and connection to the Irish people.

In my personal opinion, however, I don’t see celebrating any holiday through traditions handed down over time as living in the past. It is normal in most cultures to live in the present while simultaneously holding on to the traditions of our ancestors for special celebrations. Anyone who has emigrated to another country and put down roots has had to adapt their long held traditions to their new home, whether due to climate, availability of goods, or social expectations. Then these new adaptations become the traditions handed down to the next generation. I’m sure the Lunar New Year celebrations so recently passed were celebrated differently in one country than they were in another. Why would Saint Patrick’s Day be any different? The traditions handed down through a family in Philadelphia or Chicago may be different from each other, and also different than those for a family in Dublin. It’s okay to celebrate (or not) in your own way.

 

[mjkacmom]

I will be celebrating by having stew and Irish brown bread for dinner. I also added splash of Irish Cream in my coffee this morning. I will be making a milkshake later with Irish cream, Hershey syrup, creme de menthe & a couple thin mint cookies.

Have you tried the vanilla mint version Bailey’s has? I’ve given 3 bottles as hostess gifts for Saint Patrick’s day this year, and I have a bottle in the freezer.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Absolutely! Other than as a marketing gimmick for bars and McDonalds (Shamrock shake, anyone?), St. Patrick's Day is really not much of a thing at all here. This area was, of course, originally populated by indigenous people and then settled predominantly by Scots. For the northern half of the province it was Eastern Europeans. To this day, there's nothing much for Irish influence and those who are, are probably 3rd or 4th generation Canadian by now.

Richard and Maurice McDonald were Irish Americans (their parents were from there), so while I think the Shamrock shake is , I do think it's a nice way to honor their founders.

 

[amcnj]

Just via two foods I don’t normally make, soda bread and corned beef. The soda bread tradition started 30-35 years. A co-worker from Ireland gave me the recipe and I have made it every year since then.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I think this is poll-worthy. @slo, here is a topic for you when you return.

For us, Vince and Katlyn had Marie and I over to their house yesterday. He really is like a gourmet chef. He loves to cook and prepare meals. Everything is always excellent. And at his firehouse, he most often is the default cook there.

He had a traditional Irish meal (American style), both types of the corned beef, the more lean flat cut as well as the bit more fatty point cut (though juicier) from one very large brisket (I think he said 13 pounds). He had the boiled potatoes, seasoned just perfect, along with some great cabbage. And then he had Irish light rye soda bread,, with Irish butter. And some Guinness, which is my favorite beer.

In years past, they had VERY large St. Pat's parties every year. Large, like about 100 people, about 125-150 pounds of corned beef, kettles of potatoes and cabbage and kegs of beer. Most of their guests were from hid fire department buddies and families and from her nursing friends and families. We also usually were there also. Amazing parties. I think their last big party like that was the year before COVID. I think they are too old and tired for those now, LOL. But great memories, lots of fun and great people.

Here in Chicago, the Downtown parade yesterday, along with dyeing the Chicago River green, and then the South Side Irish and the Northwest Side Irish parades today.

And Marie is all set for the Italian St. Joseph's Day on Tuesday.

 

[tony67]

Just to share it I buy my Irish Bacon from Tommy Moloney's - https://www.tommymoloneys.com/

They use the same recipes from Ireland, but make it here.
No its not as good as a local butcher in Ireland, something I really miss, but its way better than the stuff that is exported here.

I did have a full Irish breakfast today- all with products from Moloney's, so black and white pudding, sausages, rashers of bacon, mushrooms, fried eggs, homemade brown bread. The one thing I was missing was the beans - it sounds odd, but its really a key part of the breakfast. They are in a spicy tomato sauce so very different from what we think of as beans. I always forget to get a can.

Probably wont drink all that much as the kids are working at the pub, its been crazy busy with 12 hour days Friday, Saturday and Sunday and I avoid the pub on St Patrick's day - its armature hour.

I am thinking of trying a Negroni with Irish Whiskey instead of gin.
I guess that is an Irish Negroni. Not sure if it will work, but worth at try.
I used to have draft Guinness in the house, but its next to impossible to get the correct gas for it since the pandemic and I don't like canned or bottled.

 

[patty57]

Today is my birthday. Our town closes down Main St. and goes a little bonkers. I'm a little beyond that, but did already go to a happy hour. Home now, and will probably get that Irish staple, linguine and clam sauce for dinner.
By the way, it looks at though the DIS doesn't post a birthday message anymore. I used to like it.

 

[Karin1984]

St Patrick used the shamrock to teach Christianity, God The Father, God The Son and God the Holy Spirt, all one God. Shamrock is a three leaf plant native to Ireland.

Croagh Patrick is a 764 m (2,507 ft) mountain in Co Mayo. It is where St Patrick spent a lot of time and is now a place of pilgrimage. There has been a Church on the top of the mountain since the 5th century. The last Sunday in July there is an official pilgrimage up the mountain and Mass is said at the top. This custom dates back to the middle ages.

Down Cathedral is a 12th century Cathedral said to be where St Patrick is buried.

Isn't it the custom for the Irish to go to church first on St. Patrick's Day, before the parades and festivities start?

 

[White Cat]

Yes , was at Raglan Rd earlier.

 

[tony67]

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Isn't it the custom for the Irish to go to church first on St. Patrick's Day, before the parades and festivities start?

Not to start another argument...but isn't that the point of the holiday..to argue...seems like it in my family anyway

To be honest not that many people go to church anymore..
I can remember a time where you had to go - just to show your face as it was somewhat frowned upon (small town) not to go - but not so much an issue anymore.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Isn't it the custom for the Irish to go to church first on St. Patrick's Day, before the parades and festivities start?

Yes. The parades are usually around lunch time, the Dublin parade started at 12.15pm, so people would have gone to Mass in the morning.

 

[Karin1984]

but isn't that the point of the holiday.

That's why I brought it up. There are probably at least a few on this board who do not know that the SAINT part of St. Patrick's day is part (or used to be) of the day, not just painting everything green and drinking.

 

[tony67]

That's why I brought it up. There are probably at least a few on this board who do not know that the SAINT part of St. Patrick's day is part (or used to be) of the day, not just painting everything green and drinking.

I meant "to argue" not the church part... but yeah I'd tend to agree with you.