Sunday 18 March 2012

What else don't I know??

I am sure I must have read blog posts at this time of year before but somehow I have never heard of the St Patrick's day dining tradition of corned beef and cabbage. How can I have got to fifty and not known? Isn't it a bit like not knowing that Turkey is the traditional British Christmas dinner. And about Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns, Simnel cake. What else am I not knowing?? And corned beef means something entirely different, and not half as good by the look of it, to me as well. Here corned beef comes in a tin. It's okay in sandwich with salad but not something to have for a celebratory meal. The traditional North American corned beef looks so much nicer that I am going to have to try to cook it myself. I was googling around to try to find out how I missed it all these years, despite Ireland being just next door and having loads of Irish colleagues and mates. I found a few articles like this one suggesting that the Irish are not that much more familiar with this dish than I am, despite it's early roots, but that doesn't make it any less valid as a traditional celebratory dish. It might help explain why I have never heard of it, as it's spiritual home is some much further away than I was thinking. But I know about Thanksgiving Turkey & pumpkin pie, so again, no excuse on my my part.

Anyways, now I want to try it and a tin of English style (i.e. made in Brazil/Argentina) is not going to cut it!

Reading through the article you just get a feel for the locals there. I love that for the phone in on traditional Irish food the chap that called said 'pints' were the traditional food & referred to a pint of Guinness as a Shamrock Sandwich. Getting to the bottom of the article they mentioned dying beer Green? Is that true? Wow. That's all I am saying!

3 comments:

  1. We do absolutely nothing for St.Patricks day, not even green food. ;) Definitely not green beer.. eww... normal beer is gross enough. lol!!

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  2. So not the best place to come to try the corned beef and cabbage then? lol. Maybe a nice Chardonnay??

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  3. My sister made corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day here in Arizona. I can't say I ever wanted to eat it again.

    I did not know that turkey was traditional for a UK Christmas. My parents served it for Christmas. I just thought they really liked turkey. I am 75% Irish so now I am really confused. What is a traditional Irish Christmas meal? I convinced my sister to change to lasagna for Christmas so that is her tradition now, made the day before so that she doesn't have to do much cooking on the day.

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