On Cabbage And St. Patrick’s Day.
I gathered Will and Grace and told them, “We are going to the store.” After a short drive, we arrived at the market, and I pulled out my list. Carrots, cabbage, small red potatoes… the items trailed on. A swipe of my credit card, a short return drive, and we were back home.
I checked the internet for cooking times, and the three of us moved into action. Vegetables washed, peeled, and cut up. I pulled the slab of corned beef that I bought a week earlier from the fridge and cut it into three pressure cooker sized pieces. Beef broth, an onion, and eight cloves of garlic went into the pressure cooker followed by a rack. I plopped the sections of corned beef on top of the rack, set the timer to 90 minutes and pressed the start button. Our St. Patrick’s Day celebration was underway.
Julie told me that she wanted to go for a walk, and this 90-minute window seemed to be a perfect time. We walked downtown, which was already bustling with people wearing bright green shirts and hats. The bars were open, and despite the fact that it was only late afternoon some revelry goers appeared drunk.
On our return, I removed the beef and added the vegetables. Three minutes later, dinner was cooked. Corned beef, cabbage, carrots, baby red potatoes, soda bread. Simple, but delicious.
I thought back to the last time that I made corned beef; it was a year earlier. In fact, I typically make corned beef only once a year.
St Patrick’s Day has little significance for us. Yes, I know that St. Patrick converted Ireland to Christianity. But our connection with the day centers mostly on the meal.
With that said, I would miss not celebrating this minor holiday. I enjoy our traditional corned beef meal, which somehow makes the day seems special. I believe that these minor celebrations serve an important function. That function varies from person to person. St. Patrick’s Day allows some to celebrate by recounting the religious significance of the day. Others use the day as an excuse to get drunk. We choose the day to have a simple family meal of corned beef and cabbage.
Minor holiday celebrations can give us something to look forward to. They can bring our families and friends together. They can allow us to extend ourselves outside of our usual actions and behaviors. They are more than marketing ploys designed to coerce us to buy things.
So Happy (belated) St. Patrick’s Day! If you didn’t celebrate it, consider doing it now. I’m sure you can get a nice slab of corned beef at clearance prices.