In Celebration of Shamrock Shakes and Bubble Teas

It was a short story that was cut from James Joyce’s famed collection, Dubliners. “The Shakers,” it was called. It told the tale of the Cavanagh family, who banded together to open a milkshake stand, sharing a generations-old family recipe for green dairy treats. They opened their humble kiosk to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and people came from miles around to drink up the milky green treat.*

The Shamrock Shake has always been an important part of Irish culture. The people needed a green drink — not Kelly green, mind you, but neon death green — to remind them of their unique cultures and tradition. They held their goblets high in the villages and towns, yelling “sláinte” as green goodness flowed from taps.*

The milkshake-and-stew is a common snack to be found at Gaelic football and hurling matches.*

And it’s been captured in Irish music, from the Pogues’ “I’ll Kill the Gobshites Who Stole My Shake” to My Bloody Valentine’s “Cold Green Waves” to U2’s “Where the Shakes Have No Name.” *

In literature: Roddy Doyle’s The Neon Green Men is an ode to the early Irish settlers who brought the Shamrock shake to America. An early version of Samuel Beckett’s classic play, Waiting for Godot, saw our heroes, Vladimir and Estragon, fight over who gets to take the last sip of the milkshake that was left by the side of the road.*

And, in television: We all remember the episode of Derry Girls where the Catholic-school class has to reenact The Feast of the Shamrock Shake to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but Clare is afraid to tell Sister Michael that she’s lactose intolerant.*

A certain fast-food chain, since 1970, has tried to commercialize this great Irish tradition. It’s a sad thing, really, to take something so pure, so quintessentially Irish, and turn it into some gimmick meant to entice people to come through their doors. **

But, there are those who rise to uphold Irish tradition: I just visited the Tea Place, where it offers the Shamrock Matcha, with green tea, vanilla and, yes, those wonderful tapioca beads. I had one, and it was fantastic. It had a bit of mint and wasn’t overly sweet. Really, it was something, and a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. ***