Monday, March 24, 2008
CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE
I should have posted this last week--the wife's made some fine corned beef and cabbage for tonight, which reminded me of one of my favorite traditions started by comics: corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. Like much about St. Patrick's Day, there's nothing particularly Irish about the standard fare for the occasion. The tradition of scarfing CB&C with your Guinness began with George McManus's comic strip Bringing Up Father. It was the preferred food of the Irish-American noveau riche Jiggs, who didn't realize that it was 'poor' food, a meal born in the ghettos where Irish immigrants and Jews had to share tenements.
Stuff like this makes me wonder what else got started because of comics. Did chocolates on Valentine's Day originate in Blondie? Was driving on the right inspired by Flash Gordon? Were there no white weddings before Little Nemo in Slumberland?
I should have posted this last week--the wife's made some fine corned beef and cabbage for tonight, which reminded me of one of my favorite traditions started by comics: corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. Like much about St. Patrick's Day, there's nothing particularly Irish about the standard fare for the occasion. The tradition of scarfing CB&C with your Guinness began with George McManus's comic strip Bringing Up Father. It was the preferred food of the Irish-American noveau riche Jiggs, who didn't realize that it was 'poor' food, a meal born in the ghettos where Irish immigrants and Jews had to share tenements.
Stuff like this makes me wonder what else got started because of comics. Did chocolates on Valentine's Day originate in Blondie? Was driving on the right inspired by Flash Gordon? Were there no white weddings before Little Nemo in Slumberland?
# posted by toner_low @ 10:03 PM 
