Although there's not a significant host of Irish descendants in Hong Kong (excluding the ex-pats of course), that doesn't mean that St. Patrick's Day should pass without much ado. Of course my wife who claims to be 1/32-Irish couldn't let this holiday slide by without a themed party with our resident staff colleagues. And let's be honest............who wouldn't be up for some festivities in March?
We hosted a few friends over for a delectable menu including, but not limited to:
Emerald Isle Dip (bottom right, with the clover shaped bread bowl, featuring mostly sour cream and corned beef) - courtesy of our neighbor, Malcolm.
Cheddar Potato Soup (bottom center, topped with bacon and parsley)
Cottage Pie (bottom left, beautifully stuffed with beef seasoned with Guinness and red wine)
It goes unsaid that there were all of the classic Irish beverages available: Guinness Stout, Guinness Export, Jameson Whisky, and Bailey's Irish Cream. We left out the classic ciders since the previously mentioned line-up is plenty to throw off your stomach for a day.
To cap it all off we had an Irish-themed playlist with some new additions by the Pogues and five rounds of St. Patrick's Day Trivia. Just to give you a taste..............what country is John Jameson from?..............what did St. Patrick drive out of Ireland, according to legend?...............what are the five largest counties in Ireland (the republic, that is)?
I think it's pretty clear that Americans are way more stoked about St. Patty's Day than most true Emerald Islanders.
--Justin
