Irish Eyes are Smiling

OK, I’m going to say this once- I do not have to wear green- my eyes are green. So, if you see me today- please refrain from pinching me or telling me I should be honoring my Irish heritage by "wearing the green." It’s really So Very NOT Clever.

Now, to honor my Irish heritage, I want to give you this important recipe- if not for this year- surely for next. It’s called boiled dinner and it is a tradition. I’ve eaten it every single March 17th of my life and tonight is no exception.

Boiled Dinner

Corned beef (try to get a pre-seasoned cut, packaged)

One head of cabbage, quartered

2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced

6 large carrots, peeled and quartered

1 to 1.5 dark beer- I should tell you Guinness, but I used Shiner Black today

Put it all into a crock pot and cook it all day on low- or for five to six hours on high

Now, a few interesting tidbits for the sadly uninformed. St. Patrick’s Day is named after, you guessed it, Saint Patrick- the most well known patron saint of Ireland. He passed on March 17^th, 461 AD. In his ministering- he used the shamrock as an accessible symbol of the holy trinity. A leaf representing each: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Initially, St. Patrick’s Day was a Catholic holiday- a day of remembrance. So how did it become a day for feasting? From early on, the Irish used St. Patrick’s Day as a one-day break during the 40 days of lent. This is great news for my friend Vicki- what good is being on vacation in NYC if you can’t have a drink? So, overindulge Vicki, because we’ve got a stretch left.

Given my great affection for the sport of hockey- and since I’ve been neglecting it a bit, I thought this interesting fact would make great conversation for Clever Girls interacting with hockey fans.

Between the years of 1919-1927, the Toronto Maple Leafs were actually called the Toronto St. Patricks and they actually won the Stanley Cup under this name in 1922. The winning goal was made by Babe Dye. In 1999, when the Leafs played on St. Patrick’s Day they honored the former colors by wearing a retro jersey. Cool.

Switching gears a bit- we’ve talked about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs before, and this is the perfect day to speak about it again. The dinner above is the hallmark dish in Ireland due to the lack of expense involved and the sheer quantity of people it can nourish. This day makes me ponder a time when we were so concerned with survival we had little time to think about killing ourselves over losing a boyfriend, or needing to see a psychiatrist because our parents didn’t validate us as children, or how to acquire a larger, more palatial home to impress others.

Out of Ireland came one of the most widely recognized humanitarians the world has ever seen- Paul David Hewson. This is a man who understands most of the world is still worried about surviving- the lowest tier of Maslow’s pyramid- and has used the platform his fame has created to help those mired in extreme poverty to realize survival. More readily recognized by his stage name, Bono, the lead singer of arguably the greatest rock band in history, has leveraged his considerable success and become an advocate for others.

In an effort to change the world- Bono has become a domino. At the helm of U2, he is able to reach people with his message and his mission. Can you imagine if every one he reached was as offended by extreme poverty as he? If you are not clear on his mission- listen to "Where the Streets Have No Name" and conjure the image of little Ethiopian children walking for eight hours through the night to collect "clean" water for their village so they can be home in time to work during daylight hours.

I heard a startling statistic the other day- and again, 30 percent of statistics are inaccurate- the amount of money Americans spend in a year on ice cream could eradicate extreme poverty in the world. Think about that. I plan to.

Ok, Clever tribe, I need a drink and I am so sad to spend St. Patrick’s Day without some of my favorite Irish people.