St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is celebrated today as parades all over the world swing into action. I’m 1/8th Irish and although I won’t be tucking into the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner I’ll most definitely be enjoying a pint of Guinness tonight :)
Actually – I’m not actually sure whether I told you guys. When I first went to Seattle I struggled somewhat to find what I’d call a “proper” pint of beer. Eventually we found somewhere called Gordon Biersch which seemed to hit the spot, however until then it was a matter of trying bars and pubs to see whether any served a “pint” and not a bottle of something I’d never heard of. In the first pub we walked in and I looked around at the patrons. Most were drinking wine, or bottles of beer. I wanted a proper pint, so I looked at the bar and scanned the pumps..
No… no.. never heard of it.. Looks funny.. no.. no.. AHA!!!!!
Guinness!!
“Right, I’ll have a large Guinness please”, says I. After being checked for ID (they’re quite strict on that) and presenting my passport he nods and my taste buds start watering.
The barman turns around and grabs what can only be described as a large tumbler. To my horror he shoves it under the pump, which fires out the Guinness at three times it’s normal speed and then dumps it in front of me.
“There you go man”, says the barman.
What ? You’ve ruined it! You’ve killed the Guinness!! You heartless fool!!!
There was a tiny tea-spoon or the black stuff and 90% head. I hoped he’d return and top it up, but no.. that, apparently, was how they did things in that particular establishment. You should have seen my face – my jaw was on the floor and my expression was priceless…
Anyhow, enjoy St. Patrick’s day and have some Guinness tonight. It’s good for you! ;)