The Eatin’ of the Green

The day after Valentine’s Day, I was in Roche Brothers and came across a table full of St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes. Not that I’m in the least averse to tarted up baked goods that wear the green. I grew up in a home where St. Patrick’s Day meant wearing a little Erin Go’ Bragh flag to school, corned beef and cabbage (and, yes, I know that the Irish-Irish don’t serve this; only the American-Irish), and chocolate cake or cupcakes frosted with white icing with a kelly-green icing shamrock in the middle. And last year, I actually bought a Roche Brothers lemon meringue pie frosted to look like the Irish flag.

So I’ll cool with edibly celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

Anyway, back at Roche Bros, I rounded a corner, and there was another table. This one covered with shamrock-shaped sugar cookies sprinkled with green sugar.

Another corner brought me to a Guinness display.

Not that it is a surprise that a grocery store chain in one of the most Irish-identified cities in the US, a chain founded by a couple of boyos named Pat and Ambrose (Buddy) Roche, would pick up on the theme of St. Patrick’s Day.

But kicking off the eatin’ of the green so close on the heels of Valentine’s Day seemed a bit premature.

We’re used to seeing things way in advance. Halloween candy in August. Christmas decorations in October. Easter Candy the first day of Lent. Yes, the Easter candy’s out, making me crave jelly beans.

I suppose it makes sense. When I see Halloween candy in August I may well buy a bag of candy corn. Why wait? And that won’t stop me from buying another bag in October. So I’ve doubled my consumption of candy corn for the year. Ditto with the jelly beans. Smart marketing.

Still it does seem a bit odd around a “holiday” like St. Patrick’s Day. A month in advance? Come on…

Turns out it isn’t just Roche Brothers.

The day after I spotted the green cupcakes at Roche, I was in the Shaw’s, hoping to find the raisins I use to bake soda bread for – ta-da – St. Patrick’s Day. Roche doesn’t stock big raisins; Shaw’s used to. Alas, no more – I had to special order from Sun Maid – but I did see that they have their Irish cookies and cupcakes out as well.

But wait, there’s more..

Back at Roche Brothers just the other day, I found that they’ve doubled down on their pushin’ of the eatin’ of the green.

I have to say that one of the things I like about Roche Brothers is that I can get Barry’s Tea there. And McCann’s Oatmeal. And Kerry Gold butter. And (dirty little secret) their Irish soda bread is almost but not quite as the Aunt Peg recipe that I use. (I even plucked a loaf from the midst of this display just to taste-test it and make sure.)

But, faith and begorrah, what in God’s green little bit of heaven do Lucky Charms have to do with St. Patrick’s Day?

I guess the answer is that, if you package it in a green box, and call it the Limited Edition for St. Paddy’s Day, and make sure that there are green clover marshmallows in that green box, your product gets to be Irish by association. If that’s the case, then someone better tell General Mills that, while the clover is associated with luck, and luck for some bizarre reason is associated with the Irish, and that the Lucky Charm mascot is a leprechaun which is certainly Irish, the actual Irish symbol is the three-leaf shamrock, not the four-leaf clover!

I guess the only thing to do is roll with it. Which is, I guess, why I bought a loaf of that commercial (pretty good) soda bread to tide me over until I bake the real deal. That and head over to CVS and see if they’re stocking green Peeps yet. If they are, I may have to craft up some McPeep’s. Doesn’t look too hard. Maybe Roche Brothers will let me sell them in the Downtown Crossing store.

I’ve got a few more weeks, but I better get going.