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Fuck St. Patrick's Day. Still.
Mar. 17th, 2023 01:46 pmA few years ago I declared Fuck St. Patrick's Day. My thoughts haven't changed with the passing of a few years. Fuck St. Patrick's Day, still.
I have absolutely nothing against Irish people or Irish culture. I come from Irish ancestry. I grew up celebrating St. Patrick's Day every year, often with a trip to my Irish-American grandmother's house. My beef is with St. Patrick's Day— more specifically, with how popular culture recognizes the day. It's all about the booze.
I also have nothing against booze. I enjoy drinking! I drink modest portions at least a few times a week. What I don't like is seeing the culture of my forebears reduced to, and commercially packaged as, guzzling appropriately named or colored alcohol.
What's ironic about the Irish = alcohol shorthand is that my grandmother, the most Irish living person in my family, who sang old folks songs in Gaelic, was an abstainer. She didn't drink a drop of alcohol, and she had a firm rule that no alcohol would be brought into the house.
My dad told me amusing stories about how his dad would get Christmas gifts of bottles of whiskey from his colleagues and he'd give them back (along with an explanation). "What else can I get you?" his colleagues would ask. "How about a hat. Or a wristwatch," Grandpa would answer. I always thought this was one of those be-good types of stories parents tell their children... until one day in my teens we were over at Grandma's house and Dad found an old cardboard box in the eaves absolutely full of old wristwatches! 🤣
Grandma was no Carrie Nation about alcohol. She never campaigned for Prohibition. She didn't even say unkind things about people who drank— including a few among her grandchildren who had (or still have!) drinking problems and made messes of their lives. It was just a house rule for her, no alcohol here. As a person growing up in a community that had long been treated as second-class citizens (historically by the British in Ireland; in her own lifetime by other Whites in America who looked down on the Irish) she'd seen alcohol ruin enough lives that she wouldn't allow a drop of it inside.
I have absolutely nothing against Irish people or Irish culture. I come from Irish ancestry. I grew up celebrating St. Patrick's Day every year, often with a trip to my Irish-American grandmother's house. My beef is with St. Patrick's Day— more specifically, with how popular culture recognizes the day. It's all about the booze.
I also have nothing against booze. I enjoy drinking! I drink modest portions at least a few times a week. What I don't like is seeing the culture of my forebears reduced to, and commercially packaged as, guzzling appropriately named or colored alcohol.
What's ironic about the Irish = alcohol shorthand is that my grandmother, the most Irish living person in my family, who sang old folks songs in Gaelic, was an abstainer. She didn't drink a drop of alcohol, and she had a firm rule that no alcohol would be brought into the house.
My dad told me amusing stories about how his dad would get Christmas gifts of bottles of whiskey from his colleagues and he'd give them back (along with an explanation). "What else can I get you?" his colleagues would ask. "How about a hat. Or a wristwatch," Grandpa would answer. I always thought this was one of those be-good types of stories parents tell their children... until one day in my teens we were over at Grandma's house and Dad found an old cardboard box in the eaves absolutely full of old wristwatches! 🤣
Grandma was no Carrie Nation about alcohol. She never campaigned for Prohibition. She didn't even say unkind things about people who drank— including a few among her grandchildren who had (or still have!) drinking problems and made messes of their lives. It was just a house rule for her, no alcohol here. As a person growing up in a community that had long been treated as second-class citizens (historically by the British in Ireland; in her own lifetime by other Whites in America who looked down on the Irish) she'd seen alcohol ruin enough lives that she wouldn't allow a drop of it inside.
Okay, Anchor Steam was more than just a random pick. It was one of my frequent picks in bars right after graduating college. It wasn't among my top-tier favorites, more my second-tier choices, but it was one that reached wide enough distribution by that time that a lot of bars would have it in stock. And despite my considering it "second tier" it was way, way better than the likes of Bud, Miller, Coors, etc. I picked it for Round One here because I was wondering, after all these years and newer beers later, how does this old bar standard of mine stand up?
Second chance?
