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My Work Is Celebrating St. Patrick's Day


1975

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I don't post much but enjoyed this forum and site, and am looking for opinions on something...

I work for a 4-5 star hotel in the US, and have been for more than eight years. This year for the first time they're reaching out and avertising their specials in the bar area for St Patrick's Day. Among the typical specials -- green beer (etc) is a special on "Irish Car Bombs", if you're unaware this is a drink which includes a shot of Irish whiskey in an Irish beer.

I find the name in poor taste, car bombs killed many innocent lives during the Troubles -- and really don't think it's something we should be including in any promotion. I honestly think I'd believe that whether or not I was of Irish extraction or had devotion to St Patrick (I am, and I do). But it probably comes into play.

I really don't particularly like this kind of thing -- to me St Patrick is the guy who we credit as helping bring devotion to Christ to Ireland, not a time to drop food coloring in beer -- but I also understand people are entitled to it. It's when a day reserved for devotion to St Patrick is used, and marketing for a drink which has a name making light of innocent lives being taken -- that I think its all going too far.

I talked to our restaurant manager -- sadly, he had never heard of St Patrick's Day as a "religious day" at all. He says he'll continue with it. I'm thinking of going to our property's general manager and talking. Part of me wants to write up a Jonathan Swift-style Modest Proposal where I propose using a Jewish holiday in an offensive manner, or even July 4th -- but I think that's just lashing out and really won't solve anything.

Just wondering what anyone else thinks, who may share devotion to St. Patrick. On one hand, it's just the name of a stupid drink -- am I taking this too seriously? Or should I be offended and continue to fight this?

Thanks for any advice. God bless you all.

Edited by 1975
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Hi there! =) I'm new to Phatmass.

I have to say I agree with you, particularly about the name of the drink. I have close family members who lived and grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and I hear that it was a very bad time. I've heard lots of unpleasant stories from my relatives.
I think it's a shame that Saint Patrick's day has become such a secular holiday. I myself didn't even know until a few years ago who exactly Saint Patrick was and what he did for Ireland.

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If your hotel has a bar, Irish Car Bombs are always on the menu. It's a year-round thing. The only thing I know of that actually changes regarding alcohol and St. Patrick's Day is the food coloring in beer and maybe specials on Guinness.

I'll let other people give you some practical advice regarding the secular celebration of St. Patrick's Day, but I didn't know if you were aware of this. There are lots of drinks with offensive names, so if that's really an issue you have, you might want to reconsider if you want to work at a place that has a bar (or at least, that would be my first step).

Pax and God bless!

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cmotherofpirl

[quote name='1975' timestamp='1297019079' post='2209364']

I talked to our restaurant manager -- sadly, he had never heard of St Patrick's Day as a "religious day" at all. He says he'll continue with it. I'm thinking of going to our property's general manager and talking. Part of me wants to write up a Jonathan Swift-style Modest Proposal where I propose using a Jewish holiday in an offensive manner, or even July 4th -- but I think that's just lashing out and really won't solve anything.
[/quote]
Interesting, where did he think the "saint" part of St Patrick come from?

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Yeah, that's the thing - it's the name of the drink all the time, not just at your hotel's bar and not just on St. Patrick's Day. You can go into any bar and ask for one. (The same as you could ask for a Black Russian, a White Russian, or Sex on the Beach)

I really don't think it's worth complaining about, though I do agree that it is a tasteless name.

It's very sad that Americans use St. Patrick's day as an excuse to get drunk and nothing more. If you're not going to mass on St. Patrick's day, you're not doing it right ;).

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[quote name='Semper Catholic' timestamp='1297019929' post='2209368']
Congrats you're that guy.

Meet Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
[/quote]

Truth.

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[quote name='Chamomile' timestamp='1297021635' post='2209373']
If your hotel has a bar, Irish Car Bombs are always on the menu. It's a year-round thing. [/quote]

No, in fact they aren't on the menu and never have been among cocktails listed on our menus. But sure, our bartenders can make them.

I don't think it's a good idea to cast approval on it or any other "risque" drink name in our promotional material (and yes, these drink names get pretty ugly). I am also aware of secular St. Patrick's Day traditions and I agree that people are entitled them.

[quote] Pax and God bless! [/quote]

Thank you, and thanks for the response. I appreciate it.

Edited by 1975
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[quote name='cmotherofpirl' timestamp='1297022756' post='2209383']
Interesting, where did he think the "saint" part of St Patrick come from?
[/quote]

That's something I didn't ask. He did make the comparison to St Valentine's Day being appropriated by Hallmark (etc) as a money-making venture; the idea being that here the drinks industry is doing the same. Not a bad guy really. We disagreed on this matter without being disagreeable with one another which is about all you can ask for.

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[quote name='MeteorShower' timestamp='1297019753' post='2209367']
Hi there! =) I'm new to Phatmass.

I have to say I agree with you, particularly about the name of the drink. I have close family members who lived and grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and I hear that it was a very bad time. I've heard lots of unpleasant stories from my relatives.
I think it's a shame that Saint Patrick's day has become such a secular holiday. I myself didn't even know until a few years ago who exactly Saint Patrick was and what he did for Ireland.
[/quote]

Thank you, I appreciate it. I'm of the opinion people should just be a little more respectful of the victims of these tragedies.

Glad to know St. Patrick has touched your life. God bless.

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Ash Wednesday

I wouldn't fight it through offending or causing discord in return.

Your hotel manager isn't alone. Heck growing up when we celebrated St. Patrick's Day in school as kids, we dressed like leprechauns, drew pictures of rainbows and pots of gold, talked about pinching each other and wearing green, and the holiday was really about Irish heritage and the Irish Americans that came there. I remember the school putting on a play but it was mostly just singing Irish songs like "Cockels and Mussels" and doing jigs. I don't even remember if anyone played a part of St. Patrick, and I certainly learned absolutely nothing religious, though mind you I was in a public school. They might have discussed the "legend about the guy who drove the snakes out of Ireland" at the most. And as other Christian churches for the most part don't venerate saints like Catholics do, celebrating a saint holiday in a religious manner might also be a bit foreign to them.

So with that in mind it's not very surprising that for most people, St. Patrick's Day largely involves discussion of Irish heritage and getting drunk. Rather than going the malicious route, you could tell them about St. Patrick or where Irish car bombs came from.

The religious aspect is the only thing I feel any affinity with the holiday, as I haven't a drop of Irish blood. Now if there were a big to-do about St. Olaf I'd very much enjoy a good Scandinavian snaps in his honor. :)

Edited by Ash Wednesday
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story time:

My sister and her college classmates walked into an Irish Pub (in Italy actually cause they're really cultured and all) and one kid asked for an Irish car bomb, and the bartender was evidently pissed cause he was like "how about I go to your country and order a 9/11."

so yeah . . .

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