Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, Absolom said:

The condiments in my one daughter's fridge all have the date they were opened written on in sharpie.

I don't care when I open something because I'll use it to the bitter end.  I just made some chicken salad with mayonnaise with a best-by date of December 2023, and it was perfect.  But it's the squeeze bottle, which doesn't get cross contamination--maybe that helps?  (BTW, that's why restaurants will leave squeeze bottles of mayonnaise on the table, unrefrigerated--the contents don't get contaminated (like by sticking a knife in there), plus they go through them pretty fast.)

I mark everything.  Years ago I started putting a big "R" on products that I have in my refrigerator and for which I have already have a replacement, so when it's running low I know whether I need to get more.

I put a hash mark on a piece of paper taped to the Sodastream canister to keep track of how many bottles it makes.  I was glad, too, because I had one that didn't seem to last as long as I thought it should, and because of my record keeping I had proof it was a bum one (not that I did anything about it, but it was nice to know I wasn't losing my mind).

I have one Sharpie in the silverware drawer and one in the desk drawer six feet from there, and they both get a lot of use.  And speaking of, they make silver ones that write on black surfaces--a lot better than using liquid paper to "write" by doing dot dot dot dot with the little sponge tip.   

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Absolom said:

They also had pigeon eggs.

Is that new? 
There are a lot of pigeons by the pier. And lots of seagulls.
I've seen gull look like they're about to lay an egg, but I've never seen eggs. 
I will have to look this up.

 

8 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I just made some chicken salad with mayonnaise with a best-by date of December 2023, and it was perfect. 

You and my sister would be BFFs.

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

@fellow New Yorkers: do you still buy Entenmann's products? I bought a chocolate fudge cake today for old times sake. I looked to see where it was made: Bimbo Bakery in Horsham, PA 😸. Didn't their products used to be made in Brooklyn? I'm hoping Sabrett hot dogs are still made in The Bronx!

I haven't bought Entenmann's for decades for dietary reasons. Like a lot of brands it's been sold multiple times over the years to different companies. Bimbo is actually a Mexican brand that owns so many bakery brands and other foods sold here in the US that it would make your head spin. They include Thomas', Sara Lee, Freihofer's and Arnold. I don't think Entenmann's has been made in Brooklyn for a long time.

[Absolom]

29 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Is that new? 
There are a lot of pigeons by the pier. And lots of seagulls.

I've never noticed pigeon eggs in that store before.  That doesn't mean they weren't there in a slightly different location and I've been overlooking them.  The eggs are beside the cow's milk and since I don't buy that, I don't look around much after getting the eggs.  The pigeon eggs were pricey.  I think they were $18 a package and no I'm not sure how many in the package.  I think maybe 18.  

[lookeyloo]

13 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

@fellow New Yorkers: do you still buy Entenmann's products? I bought a chocolate fudge cake today for old times sake. I looked to see where it was made: Bimbo Bakery in Horsham, PA 😸. Didn't their products used to be made in Brooklyn? I'm hoping Sabrett hot dogs are still made in The Bronx!

We were driving south of Atlanta yesterday and there is a giant Bimbo Bakery there.  Times change.  I wonder if Entenmann's was bought out or contracts out?  Sweet Son and I used to binge on the crumb cake.  Hard to resist.

[fastiller]

13 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

@fellow New Yorkers: do you still buy Entenmann's products? I bought a chocolate fudge cake today for old times sake. I looked to see where it was made: Bimbo Bakery in Horsham, PA 😸. Didn't their products used to be made in Brooklyn? I'm hoping Sabrett hot dogs are still made in The Bronx!

Some Entenmanns were made on LI.  They had a few small bakeries/factories around the area.  IDK about Sabretts, but I remember not being happy when Sabra (hummus, etc) moved production out of NY.  And speaking of Bronx food manufacturing: if you can, watch the documentary No Contract, No Cookies: The Stella D'Oro Strike.  It's really good.

[Yeah No]

58 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Some Entenmanns were made on LI.  They had a few small bakeries/factories around the area.  IDK about Sabretts, but I remember not being happy when Sabra (hummus, etc) moved production out of NY.  And speaking of Bronx food manufacturing: if you can, watch the documentary No Contract, No Cookies: The Stella D'Oro Strike.  It's really good.

The Stella D'Oro bakery was in my neighborhood in the Bronx right next to the Major Deegan Expressway for many years. When they were baking you could smell it all over the area. They also had a restaurant at one time with a buffet that my family and I used to frequent. The company sold out to Lance Bakery in 2009 and they moved the factory to Ohio. It was so sad. We never really got over it. Another Bronx institution gone.

One bakery institution that's still in the same neighborhood (in fact right around the corner from the old Stella D'Oro) is the S&S Cheesecake bakery. Everyone's heard of Junior's from Brooklyn, but the other great NY style cheesecake (and even more classic IMO) is S&S. They supply many restaurants and are available in area supermarkets even up here in CT. If you've had cheesecake in a NY restaurant it could very well have been S&S. They've been around for over 50 years.

Around the holidays and Easter they used to open up a small counter in their doorway to sell fresh cheesecakes on a first come, first served basis. The line used to wrap around the block. No offense to Junior's (I like that too) but there's absolutely nothing better than a fresh S&S cheesecake.

Here's their website:

https://www.sscheesecake.com/

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I haven't bought Entenmann's for decades for dietary reasons. Like a lot of brands it's been sold multiple times over the years to different companies. Bimbo is actually a Mexican brand that owns so many bakery brands and other foods sold here in the US that it would make your head spin. They include Thomas', Sara Lee, Freihofer's and Arnold. I don't think Entenmann's has been made in Brooklyn for a long time.

Interesting. Especially with the whole tariffs musical chairs game.

In the 1960s we lived close enough to the headquarters for Sara Lee that Mom's first paying job after have kids was as a tour guide for the Sara Lee facility. She brought home "samples." 😉

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Interesting. Especially with the whole tariffs musical chairs game.

In the 1960s we lived close enough to the headquarters for Sara Lee that Mom's first paying job after have kids was as a tour guide for the Sara Lee facility. She brought home "samples." 😉

That reminds me of when they opened an Entenmann's day old bakery on my Dad's way home from the subway. He went a little nuts bringing it home after that. My Dad loved his cake and had to have a piece of coffee cake or a doughnut in the morning and a slice of something else after dinner.

[Dimity]

My grandson is spending a few days of his March break with us and we're going to see a movie tomorrow.  He is quite concerned because I didn't go online to get tickets.  I explained we would buy the tickets at the theatre tomorrow.  "You can do that?"  He was shocked.

[Anduin]

33 minutes ago, Dimity said:

My grandson is spending a few days of his March break with us and we're going to see a movie tomorrow.  He is quite concerned because I didn't go online to get tickets.  I explained we would buy the tickets at the theatre tomorrow.  "You can do that?"  He was shocked.

I have never bought a movie ticket online. There's an online surcharge, and I try to live as cheaply as I can.

[PRgal]

I haven’t bought a ticket at the theatre since 2015.  We find that it’s more convenient, especially if we go to ones with assigned seating.   Okay, fine, I also haven’t been to a theatre since the before times as well.  My son did a “boys only day” with my husband and my dad over the December holidays and saw Sonic in the theatre. I don’t think they went to one with assigned seating though. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

I decided that I’m quitting choir once the current “season” is over. I need a break, as I’ve been in choir in some manner (school and church) for most of my life, and at this point, I’m just getting tired of sacrificing time for rehearsals and feel annoyed that my directors almost want to turn it into a performance and photo ops with instrumentalists for some Masses and having us sing in concerts, or the insistence on group pictures at the end of special Masses.

It’s not the most high pressure thing I’ve ever done in my life. Far from it. I’m just sick of rehearsals that run 70 minutes or more, and since we tend to sing the same stuff every year (which I get there’s a reason for that), there’s really no more challenge in it for me. I don’t want to be giving up close to 1.5 hours of my night to go over a song we’ve sang for the last three years for the 500th time. At this point you either know it or you don’t. I think both things can be true for me in that I may understand why my directors do things or their POV, but that doesn’t mean I can’t leave if I don’t like it. If I wanted to feel more like a performer and a prop for a photo, I’d go do theater. It seems like we’ve gotten away from just singing at Mass and now it’s about how flashy we can be and singing at concerts.

 

 

[Yeah No]

49 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I decided that I’m quitting choir once the current “season” is over. I need a break, as I’ve been in choir in some manner (school and church) for most of my life, and at this point, I’m just getting tired of sacrificing time for rehearsals and feel annoyed that my directors almost want to turn it into a performance and photo ops with instrumentalists for some Masses and having us sing in concerts, or the insistence on group pictures at the end of special Masses.

It’s not the most high pressure thing I’ve ever done in my life. Far from it. I’m just sick of rehearsals that run 70 minutes or more, and since we tend to sing the same stuff every year (which I get there’s a reason for that), there’s really no more challenge in it for me. I don’t want to be giving up close to 1.5 hours of my night to go over a song we’ve sang for the last three years for the 500th time. At this point you either know it or you don’t. I think both things can be true for me in that I may understand why my directors do things or their POV, but that doesn’t mean I can’t leave if I don’t like it. If I wanted to feel more like a performer and a prop for a photo, I’d go do theater. It seems like we’ve gotten away from just singing at Mass and now it’s about how flashy we can be and singing at concerts.

I remember when I felt that way and quit choir in my Episcopal church. There were more rehearsals added all the time. In my case we had a new choir director that hired paid singers and treated the rest of us like we were also getting paid a salary. He asked too much from the volunteers and insulted and pushed out some of them who he didn't think were "good enough". That and I was being asked to participate in other church committees. It was too much for someone working full time and I was half my age at the time! It's one of the reasons I haven't participated in a church since.

[Cloud9Shopper]

53 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I remember when I felt that way and quit choir in my Episcopal church. There were more rehearsals added all the time. In my case we had a new choir director that hired paid singers and treated the rest of us like we were also getting paid a salary. He asked too much from the volunteers and insulted and pushed out some of them who he didn't think were "good enough". That and I was being asked to participate in other church committees. It was too much for someone working full time and I was half my age at the time! It's one of the reasons I haven't participated in a church since.

At least I can say my directors aren’t pushing people out or bullying (my one director would welcome the whole church even though there are barely enough chairs in the choir loft right now and people have had to sit on the steps at some Masses) but I think some of the instrumentalists may be paid musicians. One of my directors has given us so many obligations to sing at this year (two concerts, on top of two Jubilee celebrations for priests, plus regular Mass singing, plus an extra service during Lent) that rehearsals will be running through the end of June. And probably beyond for the one priest’s jubilee that isn’t until August. It’s just too long and it’s unreasonable IMO. You can cut back on some of those obligations and I doubt anyone who attends church would notice.

Then again, the majority of people I sing with are retired and have the time to do all of this if they want to. I didn’t get home from practice until nearly 9 pm the other night and that was after I had worked all day. I wish they’d remember that a lot of people do have a life outside of the choir. 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I decided that I’m quitting choir once the current “season” is over. I need a break, as I’ve been in choir in some manner (school and church) for most of my life, and at this point, I’m just getting tired of sacrificing time for rehearsals and feel annoyed that my directors almost want to turn it into a performance and photo ops with instrumentalists for some Masses and having us sing in concerts, or the insistence on group pictures at the end of special Masses.

It’s not the most high pressure thing I’ve ever done in my life. Far from it. I’m just sick of rehearsals that run 70 minutes or more, and since we tend to sing the same stuff every year (which I get there’s a reason for that), there’s really no more challenge in it for me. I don’t want to be giving up close to 1.5 hours of my night to go over a song we’ve sang for the last three years for the 500th time. At this point you either know it or you don’t. I think both things can be true for me in that I may understand why my directors do things or their POV, but that doesn’t mean I can’t leave if I don’t like it. If I wanted to feel more like a performer and a prop for a photo, I’d go do theater. It seems like we’ve gotten away from just singing at Mass and now it’s about how flashy we can be and singing at concerts.

Is there a non-church singing group in your area? 
Or maybe an ecumenical "church" with a choir?
Not for right away, while you're taking a break.
But maybe spend a bit of your break seeing if there are alternatives for singing as part of a group.
The one thing I miss about churches is singing.

Edited March 13 by shapeshifter

[Cloud9Shopper]

19 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Is there a non-church singing group in your area? 
Or maybe an ecumenical "church" with a choir?
Not for right away, while you're taking a break.
But maybe spend a bit of your break seeing if there are alternatives for singing as part of a group.
The one thing I miss about churches is singing.

There is a choral society in the area, but as I said, I’ve been singing for so long and have done the concerts/rehearsal grind for so much of my life that I currently don’t desire to repeat that. Whether it’s singing in a church choir or not. This is part of the reason I didn’t do community theater after thinking it would be fun. 

I understand the need for practices and that choirs or theater casts or what have you can’t wing it and expect amazing results. I guess I just don’t want to be a performer anymore, and I think that’s OK  too. It would be a nice break to not have to worry about another rehearsal or event/performance/whatever coming up. I know if I do and up missing it I can always come back. The choirs functioned fine before I joined them and they will be fine without me as well. 

[Dimity]

Just got back from the movies.  Anyone seen Dogman yet?  Surprisingly watchable.  Weird, but watchable 😃.  I don't need to tell anyone who goes to movies that we spent far more at the concession stand than we did on tickets!  Twas ever thus.  Gotta say I was impressed with the variety of food you can get in a theatre now!  We basically had lunch and a movie.  And the seats!  Wow.  I'll be back just for those roomy, reclining seats!

[shapeshifter]

Total “Blood Worm Moon” lunar eclipse from my balcony at 2:45 a.m. EDT

Edited March 14 by shapeshifter

[Anela]

58 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Total “Blood Worm Moon” lunar eclipse from my balcony at 2:45 a.m. EDT

I totally forgot.  I was watching Yellowjackets. I wanted to see if I could see it here, although I’m surrounded by trees.  

[EtheltoTillie]

Wow that’s amazing, @shapeshifter

[Yeah No]

On 3/13/2025 at 11:01 AM, Cloud9Shopper said:

Then again, the majority of people I sing with are retired and have the time to do all of this if they want to. I didn’t get home from practice until nearly 9 pm the other night and that was after I had worked all day. I wish they’d remember that a lot of people do have a life outside of the choir. 

That was the case when I sang in the choir too - most of the people were retired. I worked full time and had responsibilities at home too. It was too much. Again, I don't blame you. It's too bad that I was so burned out that I never wanted to do it again. Of course there were other issues in that church that turned me off too so that's also a part of it. But to be honest now that I am retired I feel like I don't have enough energy and time for all I have going without also being in a choir. And in the meantime I've kind of moved on from church in general. I got turned off to it for good reason and it's been hard for me to get over that. My husband has sung in choirs over the years since then as he didn't get as turned off as I did. But now he works every Sunday bringing his boss's mother in law to church so he hasn't been going for the past year or so.

BTW I miss the older people I sang with in my choir. That was 30 years ago and they're all passed on by now. It's sad, but that's life. I still have photos of us. We were a friendly group and did outside activities and parties together. The choir director and organist and her husband were dear friends of ours for years. 😢

[Yeah No]

On 3/14/2025 at 3:04 AM, shapeshifter said:

Total “Blood Worm Moon” lunar eclipse from my balcony at 2:45 a.m. EDT

Thank you! This photo is spectacular! My husband took a photo of it in Newark, NJ last night but the sky was hazy so it has a glow around it. Here's the photo:

[Cloud9Shopper]

So ever since I rejected the guy who kept asking me out a few months ago, I thought he had gotten the hint and backed off, as he didn’t try again after that. Well, until tonight that is. He messaged me asking me if I wanted to share a room with him on a church group cruise in the fall and how he’d be OK with separate beds and he’s already paid for most of it. Fortunately I was able to say no with the reasoning that I have a vacation of my own planned in the same month as the group cruise and can’t take nearly a whole month off work for vacations. (Much as that would be nice.) 

I cannot for the life of me understand why this guy just doesn’t get it. Why would you ask a woman who you have no romantic relationship with and are not related to to share a room with you on a vacation? I think I know why he’s single and it has nothing to do with me. And I know people are going to tell me to explain it to him and just tell him to back off but given the age difference at play (I’m 17 years younger than him), that is not my job or responsibility. A man that much older than me should know how to talk to women and what is and isn’t OK. I’m not going to baby him.

This is part why I think ghosting is OK in dating in some circumstances. I know a lot of people are on their moral high horses about the topic and how you should always “give someone closure” and “be polite” or “be an adult.” Sometimes people don’t deserve that. And I know a lot of single men think they are owed explanations for why women don’t want to date them so they can “improve.” God knows if the roles were reversed and I couldn’t stop asking a guy out when he told me no, everyone would tell me I looked desperate and the man would just get away with ignoring me because “he’s just not that into (me).” Well I’m going to do the same. 

[SoMuchTV]

6 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Fortunately I was able to say no with the reasoning that I have a vacation of my own planned in the same month as the group cruise and can’t take nearly a whole month off work for vacations.

Oh honey. Just say no. If you want to be polite, say no thanks. Don’t tell him you’re saying no because you already have other plans!

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

how he’d be OK with separate beds

How magnananimous of him -- he's "okay" with sharing a room, just not a bed, with someone with whom he has ZERO relationship, let alone an intimate one, and, bonus, he's paid for most of the room's cost.  🙄

This guy is 100% creep, and presumably one of those who thinks creeping around women who share his church will give him some cover.

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Fortunately I was able to say no with the reasoning that I have a vacation of my own planned in the same month as the group cruise and can’t take nearly a whole month off work for vacations.

You don't need a reason, ever.  You certainly shouldn't feel pressured to come up with one to spare feelings when the person you're saying no to is this wildly inappropriate.

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

He messaged me asking me if I wanted to share a room with him on a church group cruise in the fall

To which I would reply, "Of course not."

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Fortunately I was able to say no with the reasoning that I have a vacation of my own planned in the same month as the group cruise and can’t take nearly a whole month off work for vacations. (Much as that would be nice.) 

I cannot for the life of me understand why this guy just doesn’t get it.

You texted back: “I have a vacation of my own planned in the same month as the group cruise and can’t take nearly a whole month off work for vacations. (Much as that would be nice.)”

He focuses on: “…Much as that would be nice”

So.
2 options now:

1. Ghost him, but be prepared for him to contact you again since he thinks you think it "would be nice."
2. Text him something like: Sorry if my previous text mislead you in any way.
   I did NOT mean it would be nice to share a cruise or anything else with you. I meant a month-long vacation would be nice for me without you.

If #2 seems a tad harsh to you, consider it's better than him wasting his time pursuing you. 

[Browncoat]

"No" is a complete sentence.

[Absolom]

10 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Oh honey. Just say no. If you want to be polite, say no thanks. Don’t tell him you’re saying no because you already have other plans!

Phrases like oh no I can't with no explanation.  That doesn't work for me.  Thanks, goodbye.  A little gasp and oh no.  Goodbye.  No explanations ever, just no and variations of no.  He has so many red flags it's surprising he stays on the ground.  You owe him nothing and what people say about ghosting is meaningless.  They're speaking of what they want.  You aren't beholden to this guy or strangers on the internet.  So my advice is worth the same as the ones saying it's impolite to ghost.  But think seriously if you ever want to hear from this guy again.  

[Browncoat]

If "no" seems too abrupt, you could go with, "Are you fucking kidding me, creep?  Hell to the no."  Or any variation of the above.  But to emphasize, you do not owe him any explanation or reason or excuse why you don't want to have anything to do with him.

[lookeyloo]

Agree with NO is a complete sentence.  Your answer left room for maybe next time.  

As Nancy Reagan said "Just Say No", and say it as many times as it takes with no explanation.  And then block him.  Why haven't you blocked him?  Did I miss that? 

I play words with friends and sometimes a man will start a random game.  Two plays in I get a message "Hi Where are you playing from".  I just block the chat.  Sometimes they quit.  Yay.  Otherwise we play in silence.

[supposebly]

11 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

how he’d be OK with separate beds and he’s already paid for most of it.

Gross.

And I can only echo the sentiment. Don't explain.

Just tell him, no. Not interested. No, not now, not ever. And don't explain, don't try to explain to him why, don't explain that he is being creepy. Just, NO.

[annzeepark914]

Re: the man who keeps trying...it makes me think he's somewhere on the spectrum. He's unable to "read the room". 

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Re: the man who keeps trying...it makes me think he's somewhere on the spectrum. He's unable to "read the room". 

Then don't give him a room to read.

[Dimity]

It's St. Patrick's Day and my sister is giving me a hard time because we're not having corned beef and cabbage for dinner (it's not  like she's eating at my house she is just pushy).  Anyway I told her the stir fry I'm making is every bit as traditionally Irish as corned beef and cabbage and now she thinks I'm nuts.  Eventually I will send her a link to where and when corned beef and cabbage became 'traditional' but I expect this still won't shut her up.

[Absolom]

Some people are best ignored and forgotten about as soon as they pass the front door or get off the phone.  She just might be one of those people.  Don't let them live rent free in your head.

[ginger90]

45 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Eventually I will send her a link to where and when corned beef and cabbage became 'traditional' but I expect this still won't shut her up.

Some people don’t like or even listen to facts. Enjoy your dinner!

[Caoimhe]

48 minutes ago, Dimity said:

It's St. Patrick's Day and my sister is giving me a hard time because we're not having corned beef and cabbage for dinner (it's not  like she's eating at my house she is just pushy).  Anyway I told her the stir fry I'm making is every bit as traditionally Irish as corned beef and cabbage and now she thinks I'm nuts.  Eventually I will send her a link to where and when corned beef and cabbage became 'traditional' but I expect this still won't shut her up.

[PRgal]

52 minutes ago, Dimity said:

It's St. Patrick's Day and my sister is giving me a hard time because we're not having corned beef and cabbage for dinner (it's not  like she's eating at my house she is just pushy).  Anyway I told her the stir fry I'm making is every bit as traditionally Irish as corned beef and cabbage and now she thinks I'm nuts.  Eventually I will send her a link to where and when corned beef and cabbage became 'traditional' but I expect this still won't shut her up.

Your sister is weird!  We're doing lamb stew and I am making homemade soda bread using unconventional flours (a mix of spelt, oat and sweet potato.  Threw in some flax and psyllium for added fibre) and kefir.  Also, I think only Canadians and Americans go all out to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  If you really think about it, it's kind of...cultural appropriation.  And this goes for people who're of Irish descent here too.  Are Shamrock Shakes available at McDonald's in Ireland?

Edited March 17 by PRgal

[fastiller]

10 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Your sister is weird!  We're doing lamb stew and I am making homemade soda bread using unconventional flours (a mix of spelt, oat and sweet potato.  Threw in some flax and psyllium for added fibre) and kefir.  Also, I think only Canadians and Americans go all out to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  If you really think about it, it's kind of...cultural appropriation.  And this goes for people who're of Irish descent here too.  Are Shamrock Shakes available at McDonald's in Ireland?

From my experience, when I lived in Ireland (in the 80s) St. Patrick's Day was still a fairly Catholic holiday (maybe @Caoimhe can correct me here); it was when those Irish who had lived in the US & had experienced the more secular version of the holiday were returning to take advantage of the Celtic Tiger (mid 90s) that this style of celebrating was imported into Ireland.  

[Caoimhe]

22 minutes ago, fastiller said:

From my experience, when I lived in Ireland (in the 80s) St. Patrick's Day was still a fairly Catholic holiday (maybe @Caoimhe can correct me here); it was when those Irish who had lived in the US & had experienced the more secular version of the holiday were returning to take advantage of the Celtic Tiger (mid 90s) that this style of celebrating was imported into Ireland.  

No, it’s not at all religious for many years now. Mainly just a holiday with the odd parade in many towns but no particular meal, at least  not in our families. I recall an American place on Grafton Street in Dublin used advertise “green beer” and places like the Abbey Tavern would do corned beef and cabbage for the American tourists.

It’s a day off work/school and a junket for the Irish politicians who jet off around the world to celebrate it in other countries and promote Ireland. The Taoiseach, Tanaiste, and eight ministers visited the US. In all 38 politicians visited more than 90 cities in 40 countries this year.

And no, I’ve never seen Shamrock Shakes in an Irish McDonalds @PRgal

Edited March 17 by Caoimhe

[Bastet]

I have no ties to Ireland (other than I've visited several cities there and enjoyed them) - or Catholicism - so I don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  (If I did, I wouldn't have corned beef as I don't like it.)  I'm not going to give a moment's thought to the holiday in deciding my dinner tonight, so I cannot fathom telling someone else what their dinner should consist of even if they do celebrate it.

[supposebly]

Not that I care. But apparently, nothing about St. Paddy's Day is Irish.

 

[fairffaxx]

I stopped eating meat & poultry in 2006.  The last meal that I remember well was the one I took to an Irish Catholic friend's house for lunch on St. Patrick's Day that year:  corned beef & Swiss cheese & mustard sandwiches on rye, accompanied by dill pickles & Guinness.  I miss that sandwich almost as much as I miss BLTs -- but at least I can look cows (& pigs) in the eye with a clear conscience now.

[Dimity]

As Stephen Leacock (among many others) said "everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day" celebrate as you want, where you want, whatever floats your boat.  But honestly, relax!  My favourite memory of it was a long ago St. Patrick's Day in Montreal where a local radio personality got drunk the night before the parade and also got hold on a line maker and some green paint.  I leave the rest to your imagination...

Edited March 18 by Dimity

[Yeah No]

On 3/16/2025 at 6:36 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Re: the man who keeps trying...it makes me think he's somewhere on the spectrum. He's unable to "read the room". 

Yes, thank you, I've wondered the same thing. @Cloud9Shopper, It's already been obvious to me that he's single for a reason and now it's even more obvious why. I don't know if saying "no" is enough with someone like that. They don't get it and they're not going to get it. If it were me I'd talk to someone at the church about it. Even if he doesn't realize it, it's harassment and no one should have to deal with that alone, especially if it's taking place in an organization like a church. And you really don't want to take the chance that he's more than just mildly creepy and might start stalking you. It looks to me like unless something pretty strong is done (as in more than just "no thanks") he's just going to keep escalating this. If the church is told about it they will not like the behavior and likely tell him to cease his advances. Hopefully that should be enough to stop him. 

[Yeah No]

Re: St. Patrick's Day - My husband is Protestant Irish. His father was born there and we went there 20 years ago and met all his cousins in Donegal and Belfast. Our trip was 12 days long. We traveled all over Ireland and barely stayed in a hotel the entire time - that's how many relatives we stayed with. We rented a car and drove all over the country. His relatives' home cooked food was incredible. We were told that on St. Patrick's Day they mostly eat either Irish Stew or pork/bacon with cabbage, not corned beef. When we were in Dublin we ate that at a hot table at a pub. It reminded me a lot of the Irish bars in the Bronx when I was a kid. 

We used to eat out at a pub on St. Patrick's Day or I'd bring home corned beef and cabbage from my office cafeterias. I used to cook lamb stew on St. Patrick's day but lately we don't do much anymore. 

[Absolom]

At 2:00 pm I was invited to a St Patrick's Day dinner at 4:00 and decided to go.  It was great, the food was good, I met some interesting new people who I may never see again, and now I'm home.  

[shapeshifter]

One of my best friends in high school who lived just a few blocks away was one of 8 kids whose Irish Catholic family had moved to the burbs from Chicago. 
I don't know whether or not it was St. Patrick's Day when they invited me to stay to dinner, but I remember they were surprised that I liked the corned beef. 
Corned beef was already a treat to me on rye. 
Hmmm…
It just occurred to me that being from The City, maybe they’d learned that Jewish people ate corned beef too, and were surprised because I didn’t “seem” Jewish.
Regardless, I enjoyed spending time with them. One time I helped paint a couple of rooms.

Edited March 18 by shapeshifter