I want to talk about the humble Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. For the most part, having been living in Ireland for over three and a half years, I think I manage to fit in pretty well. Nearly all my local friends are Irish, and they make me feel loved. And when I travel to touristy areas where a lot of Americans can be heard, I get really annoyed and wish they'd just pipe down already.

Yes, I have become prejudiced against my own kind. American accents are grating. And they're SO LOUD. Sometimes I shudder with embarrassment knowing I'm one of them. But I am, although my accent has softened and I try to keep my volume down (not always successfully).

But sometimes...sometimes I can't escape where I'm from. And I say things that cause the people around me to roll their eyes and shake their heads and say, "You're SUCH an American*!" Which is kind of funny because I suppose most Americans would take that as a compliment.

Yesterday I re-learned that our beloved sandwich, the meal that nearly any American child or adult will happily eat, the holy PB & J, is not a world-wide phenomenon, but rather more or less American fare. Now, I have no idea what sandwich Irish children love universally, but I assume it has something to do with cheese and mayonaise, since it's practically impossible to buy a sandwich without mayo in this country.

But what amuses me is that after I was scorned for suggesting we feed children peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I thought to myself, "These poor depraved people! They don't know the joys of PB & J! I feel sorry for them." Which, I suppose, is more American than suggesting PB & J in the first place.


*sometimes they say "Yank" instead of "American," which I just want to re-iterate from an earlier post that FYI Yank is mildly offensive and you shouldn't use it.