Happy St. George's Day

"Cry God for Harry, England and Saint George!"

Today is the day of St. George, who forced all the snakes out of...um, no.

Today is the day of St. George, where you eat haggis and...um, no.

Today is the day of St. George, where you wear either a daffodil or a leek or a...um, no.

I guess what I'm trying to convey is that many people really don't know whom St. George is. He is the patron saint of England. He also slayed a dragon. Top that one St. Patrick! The others I mentioned above in order of claim-to-fame are St. Patrick, St. Andrew, and St. David. No. I didn't put St. David last as some sort of cruel joke.

My sociology professor once told us this riddle:

Why don't the English have a parade down 5th Avenue?


Because they don't want to.

I think that sums up why poor old Georgie boy is a mere footnote in British history, while his other compadres get their own honors and celebrations in each of their respective countries. Yet, his cross graces part of the Union Jack, the flag of Episcopal church, and the front doors of BNP members. Ouch on that last one!

There is a campaign building steam over the pond in jolly old England to bring him back. Not from the dead silly! Back into the limelight, and with his very own bank holiday. This, I am completely for. It's about time the English dropped the PC attitude towards this dude and embraced something other than Celebrity Big Brother.

Since I am in the US, I decided to celebrate today by cooking a traditional English dish - toad in the hole. I got the recipe from How to Boil an Egg. It was decent, but the batter wasn't cooked all the way through on the inside. It wasn't runny or anything, just a bit "moist". I blame the fact that I partitioned too much of it out into a muffin tin, like many use for Yorkshire Puddings. Or it could have been the fact that I cooked it in a toaster oven. Yeah, could explain why. Lesson learned.

I figure by the time I perfect this dish, St. George will be a holiday over here.