One day post-St.Patrick. In light of Thirst-Quenching Thursday, decided I will re-cap Wednesday. For anyone who knows me, you will not be surprised to discover that yesterday was a day for quenching. No dancing around the subject - I heart beer. Seems a bit strange, just putting that out there. I've come across lots of people of late, moms mostly, who are continually trying to downplay anything alcohol-related. "I'm not a lush or anything"..."I don't really drink very much"..."on the rare occasion that I drink"... I know, I should be a bit more transparent in this department. Again, if you know me, it's safe to assume that's not going to happen. I am not a lush. Still, I heart beer.

Nearly 3:30PM and I'm still tryin' to get back in the saddle today. Started out at Beef O'Brady's yesterday with Mom at noon, and had a few Killian's (So as not to implicate, should add that she was drinking iced tea).
It's not as bad as it looks, I was actually toasting some incredible people, which means it was more ceremonial than consumial. Okay, it was equally ceremonial and consumial (realize that's not actually a word).

Found a coupla cuties at the bar, celebrating away...

The obligatory green beer, found only in America. Really don't understand this one. I did not, nor do I have plans to EVER participate in this tradition. Did I mention??...I heart beer. Why in God's name would I ever go and make it green?
While at Beef's, also ran into a guy called Stu in the smoking/leper section (as in disease-ridden, not to be confused with leprechaun). Poor Stu is living within the confines of his Irish-based identity, and there's not a whole lot more to him. He took the opportunity to point out a couple of things that I knew, but sorta lost along the way:
1. Back in the day, Irish immigrants were segregated, and forced in some instances to share public restrooms with African-Americans. Not trying to be insensitive, but can I still use the word 'blacks' if I'm referring to 'back in the day'? I hate PC, but at the same time don't want to be flippantly un-PC.
2. JFK was the first and the only Catholic president.
3. St. Patrick was not born in Ireland, he was born in England

See......getting educated while drinking beer. The two go hand-in-hand. After all, where do/did the world's most famous philosophers, writers, and artists congregate? Always, in a bar.

While I was at it, found some more useless facts about Irish people:
1. 76% of all Irish nine-year-olds have tried alcohol and cigarettes - could this really be true?
2. The Irish drink four million pints of tea a day - bleh. have never acquired a taste for tea.
3. Dublin boasts one pub for every 100 head of population - this is absolutely true.
4. Divorce was only made legal in Ireland in 1992 - that's just plain bonkers.
5. 70% of married Irish women would consider having an affair while on a foreign holiday without their spouse or children - good thing divorce is now legal.

I know, enough already...

Continuing on with my day...post-Killian's, I went out last night with some friends to the newly opened House of Brews down the road. Freaking Fantastic! 23 beers on tap. If you're local, and you love beer, check it out...http://www.houseofbrewstampa.com/. I settled on Smithwick's, a good old-fashioned Irish ale, now owned and produced by the Corporate machine that is Diageo. Smithwick's was first brewed in 1710 - can you imagine? Yummy stuff.

I knew Diageo was huge, but didn't realize how huge. They are the holding company for some of the most recognizable alcohol brands in the world, including:
* Beer: Guinness, Tusker, Smithwick's, Red Stripe, Harp Lager, Kilkenny
* Scotch whisky: Johnnie Walker, Buchanan's, Cardhu, Justerini & Brooks (J&B), Bell's, Black & White, Caol Ila, Vat 69, Oban, Talisker, Lagavulin, Glen Ord, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Cragganmore, Singleton, Haig, Royal Lochnagar, Glen Elgin, Knockando
* Vodka: Smirnoff (Smirnov in Russia), Cîroc, Silent Sam, Popov, Ketel One
* Gin: Gordon's, Tanqueray, Gilbey's, Booth's
* Rum: Captain Morgan, Bundaberg, Pampero, Myers'
* Canadian whisky: Crown Royal, Seagram's, Black Velvet
* Schnapps: Black Haus, Goldschläger, Rumple Minze
* Mixed drinks: Archers, Pimm's, TGI Friday's
* Liqueur: Baileys, Sheridans, Yukon Jack, Godiva's

That's an impressive list, no? (pinched that from Wiki, by the way)

Diageo also distributes my beloved Unicum in North America. Unicum, for those of you who may be unfamiliar, is in my humble opinion one of the top three Hungarian contributions to humanity. This is, of course, after the Rubik's Cube and the ballpoint pen. Unicum is an herbal digestif liqueur, made with a secret formula and more than forty herbs. This concoction and fantastic remedy for upset/next-day/hungover stomach (in Hungarian, hungover = masnapos - pronounced m-ah-sh-nah-poh-sh) has somehow escaped the Nobel Prize in Medicine, awarded 100 times since 1901. Unfathomable. For more on Unicum, check out: http://www.zwackunicum.com. I've actually found it at my local liquor store, so you should be able to find a bottle in your neck of the woods no problem. You will thank me.

Okay Kiddies, getting thirsty now. It's 4:20pm and all is well. Gonna grab a beer and head back in time to yesterday's post...

Cheers! Or, in...

Afrikaans : Gesondheid! : (Ge-sund-hide)

Albanian : Gëzuar! : (Géschuar)

Arabic (Egyptian) : في صحتكم! : (Fee-sa-ha-tak)

Armenian : Armenia : (Gen-ots-it)

Azerbaijani : Afiyët oslun! : (Afeeyet Ohs-lun)

Basque : On egin! : (On egín)

Bosnian : Živjeli! : (Zhee-vi-lee)

Bulgarian : Наздраве! : (NAZ-dra-vey)

Chinese (Mandarin) : 乾杯! [干杯!] : (Gan BAY)

Chinese : (Cantonese) : (Gom bui)

Czech : Na zdravi : (NAZ-drah vi)

Croatian : Živjeli! : (ZHEE-vi-lee)

Danish : Skål! : (Skol)

Dutch : Prosit! : (Prowst)

English : Cheers! Bottoms up! Down the hatch! Here’s mud in your eye

Estonian : Terviseks! : (Ter-vi-seks)

Ethiopian (Amharic) : Letenachin : (L’-TAY-nah-chin)

Farsi : (Ba-sal-a-ma-TEE)

Finnish : Kippis! : (KEEP-us)

French : A Votre Sante! : (Ah Vot-ruh Sahn-tay)

Gaelic (Irish) : Sláinte! : (Slawn-che)

German : Prost! : (Prohst)

Greek : στην υγειά σας! : (Stin Eyiassou/Stin Eye-ee-yass-ooh)

Hawaiian : Okole Maluna! : (Å’kålè ma’luna)

Hebrew : לְחַיִּים!/L’Chaim! : (Le Chy-em)

Hungarian : Egészségedre! : (Egg-esh Ay-ged-reh)

Italian : Salute! : Cin cin! (Salu-tay/Chin Chin)

Japanese : /Kampai! : (Kam-pie)

Korean : 위하여 (Chukbae) : (Sheet seki yah)

Latvian : Prieka! : (Pree-eh-ka)

Lithuanian i : sveikata! : (Ee sweh-kata)

Luxembourgish : Prost! : (Prohst)

Maltese : Evviva! : (A-vee-va)

Mongolian : Эрүүл мэндийн төлөө! : (Erüül mehdiin tölöö)

Norwegian : Skål! : (Skoal)

Persian : به سلامتی! : (beh salamati)

Polish Na : zdrowie! : (Naz-droh-vee-ay)

Portuguese : Saúde! : (Sow-ooh-jee)

Romanian : Noroc! : (No-roak)

Russian : Будем здоровы! : (Boo-dem Zdo-ro-vee-eh)

Serbian : Ziveli! : (ZHEE-vi-lee)

Slovak : Na zdravie! : (Naz-drah-vee-ay)

Work is the curse of the drinking class. -Oscar Wilde

Spanish : ¡Salud!/Salut! : (Sah-lud/Sah-lute)

Swedish : Skål! : (Skol)

Thai : ไชโย! : (Chuc-dee)

Turkish : Şerefe! : (Sher-i-feh)

Vietnamese : Chúc sức khoẻ! : (chook-sa-koi-ah)

Yiddish : געזונטערהייט! Zei Gazunt! : (Zye GAH-zoont)

Zulu : Oogy wawa! : (oogee-wawa)

The problem with some people is that when they aren’t drunk they’re sober. -William Butler Yeats