What to eat for St. Patrick’s Day

With a big day of enjoyment coming up tomorrow, it is important to consider the menu in advance to help maximize enjoyment time, as well as to provide a solid base to keep the enjoyment going well into the night (option: replace “enjoyment” with “drinking”). First off it is important to acknowledge the traditional menu item for St. Patrick’s Day, Corned Beef and Cabbage. While a staple of Irish pubs, it turns out it is not really popular in Ireland, but rather is Ireland-New World fusion. Perhaps aside from being “Irish food”, one of the more important considerations for St. Patrick’s Day is that you eat green foods. However if there is excess enjoyment, green coloured foods may haunt you on their return. Serious Eats and Bon Appetit both list delicious recipes and menus for St. Patrick’s Day, however I would suggest that they are each missing a key ingredient, kale.

Beautiful and delicious bouquet of kale at Pike Place Market in Seattle, the fact that it was meant for floral arrangements didn't stop me from eating it.

Both of those food blogs have frequently sang the praises of kale and offer up some great recipes, and I suggest that the health benefits of kale, combined with its hardiness, and greenness make kale the perfect St. Patrick’s Day menu item, possibly combined with meat, potatoes, and gravy like the Dutch dish, Borecole. Kale is also a key food for the day after St. Patrick’s Day in case you are feeling the effects of too much enjoyment.