March 16, 2006

St. Patrick's Day Meat

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, a day when Irish Americans all across the country pretend to care about Irish culture. Tomorrow is also Friday, and we're currently in the midst of Lent, which means that Catholics aren't supposed to eat meat tomorrow. According to a story I just heard on NPR (in between the awful music, the disruptive promos, and an excruciating Perspective about walls), several bishops have granted special dispensations so that Irish Catholics can enjoy the traditional St. Patrick's Day meal of corned beef and cabbage. Corned beef and cabbage is a bland, flavorless, and terrible entree that's important for Irish Americans to eat once a year to remind them of why we left Ireland in the first place. The point is further driven home if the CB&C is accompanied by Irish soda bread, which can also be used to scrub grout.

I also heard on NPR this morning that FCC handed down another dickload of indecency fines yesterday, including upholding the Janet Jackson Super Bowl fine, which was the centerpiece of the note I wrote for BTLJ. I think we all thought that the FCC would lighten up after Chairman Potatohead left, but apparently they're still bending over for the Parents Televisions Council. If Viacom's brief in support of their original challenge is any indication, they're taking this thing all the way to the Supreme Court, so I may get cited after all. Look for a D.C. Circuit opinion in the coming year that contains the phrase "shoddily researched bit of gratitous hackery."

Posted by hb at March 16, 2006 07:57 AM

Comments

that is actually the origin of the traditional st patty's day drinking binge, did you know that? it was a way to purge the terrible, terrible food you just ate right out of your stomach.

sincerely, blarneyfoot

Posted by: didofoot on March 16, 2006 09:23 AM

corned beef always disgusted me because it was covered in little bumps and i was convinced it had leprosy. sadly, i had to eat it more than once a year because my parents liked it for some reason. and then had to eat it more the next day when they made corned beef hash for breakfast. oh fuck, that shit was horrible.

i do like soda bead though.

Posted by: michele on March 16, 2006 10:37 AM

Didn't Vatican II abolish that "no meat on Fridays" thing worldwide? Or was that only for American Catholics...

Posted by: Jadie on March 16, 2006 11:09 AM

No meat on Friday used to be year-round. Vatican II made it apply during Lent only. I don't think there are any official special rules for American Catholics, but God knows we're an unholy bunch compared to the rest of the world.

Posted by: holohan on March 16, 2006 11:40 AM

I love corned beef and I love corned beef hash. It's hard to really get behind cabbage, unless it's in kim chee form.

Posted by: sean on March 16, 2006 12:05 PM

If made well, corned beef and cabbage can be really, really good. Filipinos are big fans of both corned beef and cabbage, although rarely eaten together. I make corned beef and cabbage pretty much like I'd make sinigang (filipino beef and cabbage soup) but use less water, no tamarind, more salt and raise the beef above the veggies for the last hour or so and drain the water off for gravy stock to let the veggies dry up a bit before serving. Cooking it slow, keeping it moist and just salty enough is important but spicing it up with garlic, onion, bell pepper, a little lemon and patis really makes an old dish (that I dreaded eating as a child) new.

Posted by: Kristina on March 16, 2006 12:50 PM

You've all convinced me. I'm havin me some CBC tonight.

Posted by: Danny on March 17, 2006 09:43 AM

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