Fish, chips and … Guinness?

"The National Press Club, that august Washington DC institution that has been a private haven for journalists and PR types for more than a century, prides itself on its worldly sophistication. So why does it have such a lousy handle on Britain? The club has put out an email to its 3,500 members inviting them to cheer on Team USA at the opening ceremony of the Olympics on 27 July. At the event, which costs $20 for members and $30 for their guests, participants can watch a big screen of the London ceremony as they eat fish and chips and drink Guinness. Did I say Guinness? Not ice-cold Pimm's laden with cucumber and mint, or a warm, hoppy IPA, or mead brewed by monks on Lindisfarne? Guinness? The invitation reads: "In honor of the host nation, the menu for the evening will be fish and chips and Guinness." Guinness! As every American sixth grader should know, Guinness was invented by Arthur Guinness in the 18th century, and has been produced ever since then in his hometown. That's Dublin. Which is in Ireland. Britain. Ireland. Easy mistake to make. The countries were at loggerheads for centuries, but that's by the by. It does though raise an interesting question for students of Americana. The next time America hosts the Olympics, should London's private clubs mark the occasion with an evening of burgers and margaritas, or should it be sliders and Caesars?"
 By Ed Pilkington