Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Like most Americans, I am something of a mutt, but I am predominantly Irish (about 50%. The rest is split between German and English)so I am proudly wearing green today.
My Mom's family is sort of the stereotypical Irish: Happy-go-luckyish, with a tendency towards overdrinking. Dad's side of the family was more the "every-cloud-has-a-pitch-black-lining" sort of Irish: Their idea of fun was sitting around in the front parlor talking about the departed. And actually, they drank a lot too. At least the men did.
Religion (Roman Catholic - no Irish protestants in OUR gene pool) played a huge part in everything of course, but it wasn't the uber-annoying, in-your-face kind of Christianity you see today. It was more their own private misery. Grandma Langdon, for example, always went to 5:30am mass, and had to walk there because the streetcars didn't run that early. She could have waited and gone to 8am mass, but that wasn't her thing. On Mom's side of the family, Great-Aunt Genevive Melia's house (inherited from her parents) was full of the most dreary religious art you can imagine. Today it might be considered high camp, but to me it was always depressing. I think they've torn it down by now. I don't know and I don't care.
They were all solid Democrats, and most of the offspring still vote Democrat (except fot those who have renounced the pope and become "god-dammed protestants" of course - they tend toward Republicans). Personally, I've got enough Irish superstition in me that, even if I were vulgar and naive enough to espouse Republican "Ideals", I would still vote Democrat out of fear of being haunted by the dearly departed. Since I have a standing committment to come to St. Joseph's Cemetary and tell my Dad's grave when Bush is finally impeached, this is no idle threat.
In keeping with tradition the corned beef is, even as I type this, cooking in the crockpot - and tonight I will force the Colonel to eat it (I keep telling him that if there is some Croation holiday where he wants to force some appaling slavic delicacy on me, turnaround is fair game. So far, nothing) But I'm not going to the Seattle St. Patrick's Day parade. That's just too much to ask.
My Mom's family is sort of the stereotypical Irish: Happy-go-luckyish, with a tendency towards overdrinking. Dad's side of the family was more the "every-cloud-has-a-pitch-black-lining" sort of Irish: Their idea of fun was sitting around in the front parlor talking about the departed. And actually, they drank a lot too. At least the men did.
Religion (Roman Catholic - no Irish protestants in OUR gene pool) played a huge part in everything of course, but it wasn't the uber-annoying, in-your-face kind of Christianity you see today. It was more their own private misery. Grandma Langdon, for example, always went to 5:30am mass, and had to walk there because the streetcars didn't run that early. She could have waited and gone to 8am mass, but that wasn't her thing. On Mom's side of the family, Great-Aunt Genevive Melia's house (inherited from her parents) was full of the most dreary religious art you can imagine. Today it might be considered high camp, but to me it was always depressing. I think they've torn it down by now. I don't know and I don't care.
They were all solid Democrats, and most of the offspring still vote Democrat (except fot those who have renounced the pope and become "god-dammed protestants" of course - they tend toward Republicans). Personally, I've got enough Irish superstition in me that, even if I were vulgar and naive enough to espouse Republican "Ideals", I would still vote Democrat out of fear of being haunted by the dearly departed. Since I have a standing committment to come to St. Joseph's Cemetary and tell my Dad's grave when Bush is finally impeached, this is no idle threat.
In keeping with tradition the corned beef is, even as I type this, cooking in the crockpot - and tonight I will force the Colonel to eat it (I keep telling him that if there is some Croation holiday where he wants to force some appaling slavic delicacy on me, turnaround is fair game. So far, nothing) But I'm not going to the Seattle St. Patrick's Day parade. That's just too much to ask.
posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay @ Friday, March 17, 2006
1 Comments:
At 3:41 PM,
Sylvia O'Stayformore said…
I hope that you got that Corned Beef from the Market Deli.
No line this year probably because they are open Mon-Fri.
Happy St. Patty's Day!
Sylv
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