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Question: How did St. Patrick's Day get to be such a big deal in the US? No other ethnic group has a day that's celebrated so officially. And some of those other days have a lot going for them. Take St. Joseph's day, for example -- a big deal to Italians. Celebrated on March 19, it features the St. Joseph's day table, a big feast meant to be shared with the poor. I have nothing against corned beef and cabbage, but who wouldn't prefer a nice plate of shrimp fra diavolo on a bed of vermicelli? (Dana can forego the vermicelli). A nice glass of Italian red wine beats out green beer, doesn't it? Plus St. Joseph's Day has those delicious zeppole cakes that go so well with a nice cup of espresso or cappuchino. But it's "Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day" with parades and green shakes at McDonald's and the like, and never "Everyone's Italian on St. Joseph's Day." Or "Everyone's Mexican on Cinco de Mayo." Or whatever. Why? On a related topic, what's the deal with The Irish Plumber? Maybe this is a local firm, but they advertise pretty heavily on cable TV around here. Do Irish people have some quality that makes them better plumbers than other ethnic groups? My own theory on this firm was that they were marketing to racist homeowners, and the company name was to assure people that the plumber they sent to your home wouldn't be one of *those* people. The couple of times I voiced this theory though, people looked at me like I was nuts.
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