I’m typing this, drinking a can of Guinness. Well, part of a can. I really don’t drink these days. Dad got the rest. I had Guinness back in Buffalo days, and I didn’t like it. Now it’s not half bad, tasty actually. Rich and dense. Dad has never drank it, so I bought it for him.

I was at Wegmans, looking at all the beer. The beer section has expanded considerably since the last time I’ve seen it. Ales made by monks, those are my favorite. Not like I’ve drank many, but I love the idea of beer-making monks. The balance of asceticism and hedonism, mwa-har-har-har.

I was looking for a big bottle of Guinness, but that didn’t exist. I asked a righteous beer dude nearby, and he suggested the cans, not the bottles. Premium frothability, maybe? After a can is finished, a plastic ball rattles around inside.

I didn’t like it then, but I do now. Hrm. Times change. A palate changes. What wasn’t before is now.

What wasn’t before applies to something else. My dad. In the past, he and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. But here is something interesting…the more I come to accept myself, the more I come to accept another, no matter how difficult it was before. He is who he is and I am who I am. We agree on many things…and those we don’t? I try to let them go. It isn’t such a big deal when you look at the big picture.

But there are boundaries. They should be drawn. In a contentious relationship, you let go of some things but should hold dear what is important to you. And stand up for them. An astrologer told me my early-thirties years would be about self-esteem. I feel this is true. I’m drawing boundaries of what I will and won’t take.

However, I also know something else. I’m learning to not push buttons as much. Everyone has those buttons, all varied and different. Be nice and don’t push them unless absolutely necessarily.

So this father-daughter relationship which has been rollin’ and rattlin’ for 31 years? It has settled a bit. It’s renewed again in a more peaceful place.

Mom left for an antique show Friday, so Dad and I had some time to ourselves. We ate fish fries Friday night, then went to the local St. Patty’s Day parade Saturday. The parade is also in that renewal vein. I can’t remember attending before! I paid attention this time. I had fun.

One side of my ancestry is Irish (my dad). The other side is primarily Austro-Hungarian (my mom). So I made potato pancakes for the first time. With an Irish twist. I added Guinness.

I didn’t really use a recipe. You probably figured this out by now, but I’m not a big recipe follower. For you food blog readers hunting for recipes, mmm…sorry! I think when you first learn how to cook, you should go by the book. Once you get the basics down, everything is wide open for experimentation. I did reference The Joy of Cooking for ingredients though. The pancakes should be just starchy enough (make sure to squeeze water out of the shredded potatoes) with a balance of some liquid.

I also added shredded Irish stout cheddar cheese by Kerrygold (they make awesome butter too). And red onion. I smooshed in a bit of Guinness, but may up that amount in the future.

The traditional is transformed. And it transforms. Familiarity has its place and can be turned on its head. It’s all good.