St. Patrick's Day

Today is St.Patrick's day and I (party animal that I've become) celebrated by making the Caspi-Man eat 3 types of green with dinner. Peas, beans AND broccoli. (But he didn't touch the broccoli - actually that's not true- he did - but only to pick it up & move it off his plate onto the table saying -"I like that NICHT!")

I remember reading once that in lieu of foreign affairs policy -Ireland decided to just open a pub in every city in the world - and I suspect there's some truth in that as there are not many larger sized cities I've been to that lack one. (And it's not like I seek them out). We have at least 4 that I know of here in Düsseldorf.


I even recall being served green beer on a long ago St Patrick's day in Nha Trang (during our honeymoon). But I can't swear (or "put my hand in the fire" as the germans like to say) it was a fair dinkum Irish pub because they were also serving jugfuls of a very potent, green, vodka-based concoction- therefore my memories of the evening are rather hazy. Although as far as I am aware there have been no political tensions between Ireland and Vietnam during the last 20 years so perhaps it was - and therein lies proof of an effective diplomatic strategy.... (?)