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<b>Luck o' the Irish:</b> Sure, McDonald is often a Scottish name. And no, shamrocks don't really taste like mint -- even if they are usually associated with the same color. But this 40-plus-year U.S. tradition comes but once a year and even helped fund the first Ronald McDonald House, which opened in Philadelphia in 1974.<br>
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<b>The take-away:</b> Why reflect on the calorie count when you can drink up a piece of history every spring?

The Irish classic: McDonald's Shamrock Shake

( McDonald's )

Luck o' the Irish: Sure, McDonald is often a Scottish name. And no, shamrocks don't really taste like mint -- even if they are usually associated with the same color. But this 40-plus-year U.S. tradition comes but once a year and even helped fund the first Ronald McDonald House, which opened in Philadelphia in 1974.

The take-away: Why reflect on the calorie count when you can drink up a piece of history every spring?