Everyone Wants to be Irish When Traveling

A friend of Mowgli's who lives abroad sent me an e-mail about yesterday's post that goes so nicely to the heart of what I was trying to convey about Irish people that I felt compelled to post his words. (With his permission, natch.)

"...wherever I go in the world, I seem to always find an Irish pub. I've started to think it's the greatest export of Ireland. No matter how exhausted I've become with navigating the local language and culture, I can always take a seat inside a pub with Guinness or Murphy's sign above it and find a friendly and comfortable pint which is easy to order by only speaking english.

Maybe you'll have a different experience in your travels, but I really recommend that if you're ever in need of chance to just have a low effort conversation for a bit -- a conversation without needing to strain to parse out the words on the edge of your vocabulary, then set thoughts of stereotypes and cliches aside (or embrace them, whatever) and pop into the pub. Relax, order something like a Murphy's Red, and enjoy hearing and speaking some effortless *english* for an hour or so.

Then again ... I suppose an Indian restaurant might work nearly as well. :)"

Everyone Wants to be Irish

It's a funny little holiday, St. Patrick's Day -- I thoroughly respect Irish people, but I have so say that if I were Irish I might be upset that my country's patron saint's name day has been turned into an international excuse for wearing green and getting legless.

But then again, maybe not. The Irish-born people I've met have been uniformly hilarious and good-natured, and I can see them appreciating the situation. Also, in the 1990s, the Irish government made a decision to leverage the holiday to showcase the country and its people.

It's also possible that Irish people might be proud that one of their country's finest exports delights folks around the world. The photo above, for example, was taken in Krakow.

Happy St. Pat's, everyone. Have a green beer if you feel like it, and if you have a bit too much, remember what Oscar Wilde said: Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes. Maybe because he also said this: The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.

Amazing Food Masala

At the risk of appearing to be obsessed with food, I have another food post, inspired by something I saw at lunch today.

The weather’s been unseasonably warm, so I walked around for a bit and then, needing a dollar in order to participate in my office's lottery ticket pool, went into the snack shop at a downtown bank to break a twenty. Because truly, I'd feel silly if I missed out on being in the group that bought a winning $173 million dollar ticket.

So I bought myself a moderately healthy snack and a soda, and on my way out, I saw this:

One of the most American of foods: deep-fried pork skin. One of the most British of flavorings: salt & vinegar. A most unexpected and arresting masala. I stopped. I stared. No, I did not buy them. I’m not at all averse to the delights of pig fat, but eating fried skin is just not my thing.

Incidentally, the process by which packaged fried foods are flavored was developed by an Irish potato chip (crisp) company, Tayto, which does not credit itself with the innovation at their site.

But maybe they have no need to toot their own horn: Tayto is the generic term for crisps in Ireland, and their mascot, Mr. Tayto, has a Facebook page with 7,530 fans.