Daves wife, you make very good observations and I am sure that people are entitled to call themselves whatever they like. Sometimes I refer to myself as Polish or Czech, but I am third generation. Technically, if you are born in this country or have citizenship, you are American - but I do understand your point.

The point I would like to bring up with about the simple dish of corned beef and cabbage is that it should be part of a St. Patrick's Day celebration here in the United States, and probably Canada too. As Windsinger pointed out, it replace boiling bacon here in the United States. Irish immigrants who came over to this country could either not get boiling bacon, or more often, could only afford the tougher cut of meet which was corned beef.   The fact that they could turn it into a such a tasty dish is a testament to their perseverence and a reminder of how much they brought to this country. When I eat my corned beef, I do feel that I am celebrating a proud heritage and spirit of our immigrant past. Perhaps that is why "everyone's Irish" on St. Patrick's Day. Most of us share the immigrant experience in our family history so I look at the day as a way of saying "thanks" for everything they brought to form this countries culture.