What is corned beef?

I came across this customer just now who asked an erm... i think is a lame question la...
Here goes...

Customer: Excuse me, ask you something.
Me: Yes?
Customer: For the corned beef salad rite? is the beef eat the corn, or the corn eat the beef?
(paused for 1 sec)
Maybe she is trying to be funny...
Me: Beef eat corn...
Customer: OH! (turned to her friend), see? i told you beef eat corn...
Me: you know why?
Customer: Why?
Me: Because corn is a vegetarian...

After i said this, the whole table looked at each other with 1001 question marks above their heads. All the brains so slow how to be lame... Haiz... After much thinking, i thought she was really asking a decent question, cos i dun really know why is it call corned beef... I came home and checked on the defination... SHE IS REALLY LAME LO!!! trying to be lame infront of the prince of lamers... Haiz...


What actually is Corned beef?

Corned beef as "beef cured or pickled in brine." Brine is salt water. Corned beef is traditionally served on Easter Sunday in Ireland -- the beef was salted through the winter to preserve it over Lent. It's also served on St. Patrick's Day!
Where does the word "corned" come from? According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service of our very own Department of Agriculture, "The name comes from Anglo-Saxon times before refrigeration. In those days, the meat was dry-cured in coarse "corns" of salt. Pellets of salt, some the size of kernels of corn, were rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it."