Cornish hens vs. corned beef

Since I mostly don't eat things that walk, different parts and types of meat are not part of my vocabulary. Also, I grew up in a non-English-speaking household, so we didn't have things like Cornish hens whilst growing up, and even if we did, we would have called it something else.

So when people mention tripe and I don't automatically know that that is something I don't eat, it's because I didn't have it growing up.

In fact, to this day, there are a lot of flowers, plants and fish that I know in Japanese, but not necessarily in English.

Anyway, this past weekend was St. Patty's Day. I knew the Irish did something with corn and some meat type, but I didn't know which one. My first guess was Cornish hens. I asked a coworker last week if she was making Cornish hens for St. Patty's Day. First she looked confused, then burst out laughing.

"Heeeee heeeeeee. Do you mean corned beef? That's what the Irish make for St. Patty's Day. "
"Oh yeah--that. Are you making that?"

Well, I got the "corn" bit right. . .Corned beef, Cornish hens--to me it's all the same.

Besides which, I wonder if my coworker can explain the difference between chard, collard greens and kale.