I have some friends who are of Irish descent, and I come from mostly Scottish roots myself. I seldom pass up a chance to rag on the English for historical misdeeds perpetrated on my Celtic ancestors.
That said, though, I have to call bullshit on all the uproar caused by Ben & Jerry’s naming a flavor “Black & Tan”. They were just copying the name of a drink, ferchristsakes. And don’t give me the “half & half” nonesense. For one thing, it’s a different drink, and more to the point, most people wouldn’t recognize that name as readily as they would “black & tan”.
Yes, the Black & Tans of the 1920’s were right bastards, but you know what? It’s time to let go. Besides, before it was a drink and before it was a nickname for the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, a “black & tan” was a dog.
Agreed…
Grampy Corcoran got the snot beat out of him by the English. Pappy told me once Grampy’s nickname was “Tank.” I figured it was cause he was a big boy, like the rest of the clan. Turns out he earned being strapped to the front of an English tank and driven round town.
First time Pappy went to Ireland with Grampy, he learned the Colonel in charge of the regiment who did that to him lived in Ireland. Pappy, being young and foolish, wanted to “Pay a visit” to the Colonel. Grampy wouldn’t. “War’s over, who cares?” he asked.
If he can let it go…
B&J may be hippy bastards, but they do care about everyone’s feelings and I doubt would do this on purpose. Furthermore, Black and Tan is a legit term on it’s own feet, ice cream, alcohol or colors alone. It’s not exactly the same as Schutzstaffel & Aushwitz crunch.
* NOTE - I never met my grandfather, and I called my father Michael, Grampy and Pappy is to give it that ole school story tellin feel.
um, asking an irishman to let something go is a bit of a waste of time jake.
I’m always busting balls when people order a Black and Tan at a bar, and insist that they call it a Half and Half. I thought that I had coined that term, but didn’t realize there was already a drink called that. Back to the point, when I bust balls, I’m just busting balls. It takes an awful lot to offend me, and usually only blatantly anti-Semitic or racist stuff offends me - if it isn’t funny.
This is my point. Busting balls is busting balls. It’s good fun, and using semi-aincient history to bust balls is good intellectual exercise.
Causing a social uproar over the name of a pint of ice cream is just plain dumb.
I can’t tell if this is off-topic anymore…but anyway I just wanted to say that I have actually had beer ice cream. This company called Jeremy’s Microbatch made a Vanilla Cream Stout ice cream, it had a beer swirl and flavor and chocolate and pretzel pieces.
a true black and tan is smithwicks/guinness
a half-and-half is harp/guinness
a black velvet is cider/guinness
a black and blue is wachusett blueberry/guinness
and a flyer is pumpkinhead ale/guinness
i created the last one at the st. james, actually the last two are seasonal local faves
Let’s not forget the Guinness Float — the old Deli Haus favorite The Wife and I have successfully reinstituted at our local pub. (The Wife prefers coffee ice cream, though, and we have yet to find that match in the wild.)
‘Round these parts a Black & Blue is Guinness/Blue Moon