Farm Beat: Your guide to dining at Sonora fair this weekend

The Sonora Celtic Faire once again offers traditional food this weekend – tacos, crepes, Indian dishes and more.

Yes, it has some food from Ireland, Scotland and other Celtic lands, but there’s a reason why these other cuisines are on the menu at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds.

Celtic food is – how can I put this? – limited in its appeal. This is not to say it’s all bad. Corned beef and cabbage has a reputation for being overcooked, but it turns out well under a gentle hand. The meat pies at the fair promise to be tasty, too.

It’s just that Celtic fare hasn’t had the kind of following that leads to countless restaurants – think Mexican, Italian or Chinese, or the barbecue places steeped in African American culture. I have yet to hear someone say, “Let’s do Irish tonight,” including the Irish family I grew up in.

Such families would rather celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a pan of lasagna or something else from our great big world of food choices. When Irish eyes are smiling, it’s because they’re gazing on the carton of Szechuan chicken that Aunt Colleen brought to the potluck.

The wearin’ of the green? That would be the guacamole that spills on our shirts as we belly up to the taco bar.

You might wonder why this is a topic for the Farm Beat column, which is supposed to be about agriculture in and near County Stanislaus. Well, our region produces beef that can be corned – a curing process using salt. Cabbage and potatoes? Not so much, but other parts of California grow them.

The Emerald Isle has nowhere near the agricultural diversity of the Golden State, but it does have notable beef and dairy production. The pasture grass and feed crops thrive on rain that falls throughout the year. (Side note: Ireland’s longest drought on record was 37 days, in spring 1938).

As I mentioned, the Celtic lands have some skilled cooks who put cheese, beef, salmon, vegetables and other native ingredients to good use. But there is a dark side, by which I mean black pudding. This is a sausage made with pig’s blood, oatmeal and other ingredients and served with breakfast.

And don’t forget haggis, a Scottish dish made with sheep organs, among other things. Add in some bagpipes for mood music, and you’ve got yourself a date night.

My gentle jabs at Celtic cuisine should not keep you from attending the three-day fair, which runs through Sunday. It offers music, jousting, educational displays and plenty of people dressed in the garb of centuries past. Beer and whiskey, too.

If you can’t make it, you can enjoy the corned beef and cabbage that many restaurants will serve on St. Patrick’s Day. And likely not again for another year, because this stuff just can’t compete with everything else the world serves up.

Cinco de Mayo soon will provide an example of food with staying power. I’m sure Mexican people won’t mind if their Irish friends stay over for Seis de Mayo, Siete de Mayo and everything that follows.

We’ll handle breakfast.

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Farm Beat: Your guide to dining at Sonora fair this weekend."