Saint Who?

At the risk of sounding out of touch with multi-culturalism, I'm afraid the concept of ethnicity has never had much resonance for me.

Take today, i.e. St. Patrick's Day. I have good friends of Irish descent who take this holiday very seriously. Me? Though I share the saint's name, unless someone reminds me, I don't even remember the whole green thing. And I've never attended the parade honoring my namesake; honestly don't care if I ever do. My father's side (albeit 6 generations ago), was the Irish side; my mother's grandparents were from Germany. Two of my least favorite ethnic foods? Irish & German! Even before I became a vegetarian, I detested both corned beef & sauerbraten, never mind boiled potatoes or sauerkraut - yuk!

Except for liking beer, more of an Irish stereotype than a cultural norm, I can't think of anything related to either side of my ethnic background that means much to me. I don't tear up hearing "Danny Boy"; Wagner is not on my musical radar. I've been to both Germany & Ireland; both very nice, but, no ancestral tugs. My wife's ancestry is largely British and she is an absolute Anglophile - loves London, British humor & film,  the skinny men, etc. I feel no such pull toward anything Irish or German. How about you? How strong is your ethnic identification?

p.s. To my German readers: Don't abandon me. Sauerbraten & Wagner aside, please recall all the neat German words I've sprinkled into past posts.