I once called into a friend who had recently become a vegan. He put two steaming cups of black tea on the table. He watched as I poured milk into my cup and said that he couldn’t fathom how anyone could drink the stuff, slightly shuddering. Ah, here, I told him, three weeks ago you were chowing down double-bacon cheeseburgers, so relax with your sneering.
I get the same defensive reaction when I hear people who have moved away from Ireland scoffing about Ireland. It’s the “Are you guys still at that nonsense?” attitude when people come back that exhausts me, like when someone watches you through a window as you scramble to take the washing from a downpour, and enlightens you with their idea that you should have just used the dryer.
When people deride the nation, I feel personally insu
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