K and I spent ten days traveling in Ireland in August of 2005. One night, we met a couple – Stephen and Debbie – from Belfast who’d hopped the train to Dublin for a weekend change of scenery. It was my twenty-sixth birthday. Turns out it was Stephen’s birthday too – he was turning twenty-one.
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We bought each other a few celebratory rounds. And an odd thing happened each time we stepped to the bar. First, I suggested beers. Much to my horror, Stephen said he’d have a Budweiser (foreign, American beer to him). I ordered a Guinness (foreign, Irish beer to me).
The second time up, it was whisk(e)y. I ordered Jameson (foreign to me). He ordered Jack Daniel’s (foreign to him). See the pattern?
For many Americans who haven’t visited Ireland (and, from what I’m told, the rest of Europe as well), they’re surprised to learn just how popular Budweiser is there. It’s a stunning phenomenon really. For a brew that’s as lowbrow and “bottom of the barrel” as it gets, the Irish, with centuries of history in great beer-making, can’t seem to get enough of it. At almost every Irish pub we visited – and not just in Dublin – Budweiser taps stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the great likes of Guinness, Bass, Smithwick’s, et. al.
So what? Well I can’t believe the Irish are drinking Bud for its fantastic flavor. Even people who like Bud will – after enough popped cans and prodding – admit that it’s quite lousy. It’s merely a cheap buzz, period. But in Ireland, Bud isn’t much cheaper than almost any other (better, more flavorful) beer.
So what’s the draw? I can only conclude that, in their mind’s, it’s foreign and it’s different. Therefore it’s better. Or at least more “exotic” and interesting than plain ol’ Guinness.
Just like Chinese food is just “food” to the Chinese: it’s an “exotic treat” to foreigners, but nothing special to them.
Just like the Sleeman brew I bought in Montreal tasted a hell of a lot better in Canada then it did at my kitchen table.
And just like how the Guinness in Ireland tasted so much better than the Guinness from Zack’s Whacky Packy Liquors near my house (business name changed to protect the innocent), even though it’s the same damn recipe.
If Guinness were suddenly an American import for Ireland and Budweiser were the local Irish brew, would the tables be turned? Would they shun Bud in favor of the black stuff simply because it’s foreign?
I allude to the story above to make a point, but I know this curiosity isn’t exclusive to Ireland. It begs the question: why does “foreign” almost always seem “better”? Why do we place certain foreign foods, places, and people on a pedestal when often we know that similar, yet better, versions exist back home? Is it traveler’s euphoria? Or, in the case of Bud-loving Irish, experiencing something foreign while at home and idealizing it accordingly?