I held an initial grudge against this week’s St. Patrick’s Day
party, because it was the first I ever had to set my alarm to wake up
for: “The first Guinness will be poured at 10:30 a.m. sharp.”
When I drag my sorry ass to Belltown at 10:30 and am asked to come back
an hour later, I’m ready to hate-crime on some Irish. My host, Kim,
quickly remedies that beef, by replacing it with 25 pounds of corned
beef with homemade mustard on rye. Her 18th-floor apartment looking
out over downtown is packed with breakfast meats, egg bakes, soda
bread, and all the Irish beer and Jameson you can drink. The best
things Ireland has to offer, all in one room. For the first time, I
actually understand the appeal of this holiday.
Where Kim comes from, a little town called New York, St. Patty’s is
a month-long celebration. In Seattle, it’s just a one-off excuse to get
obliterated and wear green. This is the second year that Kim has busted
her ass to show her Seattle friends the true joy of St. Patrick’s Day,
an all-day eating and drinking spree called “Eggs and Kegs.” The
morning kegger starts off right with some intense games of flip
cup, coupled with the slow onset of food coma. After a few hours,
the crowd drags its drunken ass down to the courtyard for a special
performance by the Elliott Bay Pipe Band. Drinking a Smithwick’s under
a cloudy 2:00 p.m. sky, watching men in green kilts blow on their
pipes… Well played, Ireland.
Want to unlock the chains on The Stranger’s heart with a
sandwich-shaped key? E-mail the date, place, time, and party
details to partycrasher@thestranger.com.