Cooking Irish can also be found at Pinterest and PETITCHEF.
Now on to that first meal on Irish soil. It left much to be desired. Even though I had my trusty traveler's guide to Ireland with me, I was too preoccupied for that. How to put this delicately: Nature paid me a monthly visit, and I discovered this in the ladies room at the restaurant where we had stopped while crossing Ireland from Shannon to Dublin on the CIE bus. As we started off to get our first taste of Dublin, I had trouble with my pad--it kept riding up the back of me and looked like I had a growth on my ass. So the excitement of sharing the discovery of this amazing European capital city with my children was all about the protrusion on my butt. So much for the pretense of being the sophisticated traveler. All illusions were trampled forevermore.
The first thing that hit us when we walked out onto the cityscape that was mid-80s Dublin: it was a city of beggars. Little children, women, cripples--all hounded us as we walked every block. I had never experienced anything like this--even in the worst sections of NY at that time. I was simply amazed.
Erin and Eli discovered a McDonald's®, but I refused saying that we did not cross the pond to eat Big Macs®. I then told them the story of an English professor I had at UAlbany whose two elderly female friends toured Mexico eating at every Howard Johnson®. What a way to experience Mexico and Mexican cuisine just to avoid the runs. I told them to expect some diarrhea on this venture. They glared at me like I was a crazy lady. If looks could kill...
We saw the River Liffey in all its brown glory and the statue of Daniel O'Connell as we toured O'Connell Street searching for a place to eat. For £10--expensive by US standards--we got the worst cheeseburgers, Cokes®, and coffee imaginable. Of course, later we were to find out all Irish beef was tasteless, and the only place that served real coffee in all of Ireland was Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street. The burgers tasted more like meatloaf--very spicy--and that is because since the meat is tasteless, the spice at least gives it some flavor. I also discovered on our first day in Ireland that it was not the custom to provide a second cup of coffee for free. This did not bode well for me--a great lover of coffee. We also learned there was no tipping so the wait staff was less than accommodating to put it euphemistically. I was ready to give a £2 tip when Erin and Eli said no one was leaving any money at the tables. And I found out later the tax--the VAT--was already added to the price of the food. We also all went to the bathroom at the restaurant, and not one of us could figure out how to flush the toilets. Lordy, lordy. At least there were a few little, rough, brown squares that passed as toilet paper. We were beginning to be thankful for small favors.
At the bus station we bought some post cards. Jimmy came rushing over when he saw us, got our luggage, and put it all on the bus to Trim. As we boarded, I told Sarsfeld that the driver from Shannon had said he would be able to find us a good B&B along the bus route and he did. It was ABSLOLUTELY POURING for the entire hour to Trim. It was hard to see, but we could appreciate the beauty of Trim Castle--the largest Norman castle in Ireland--aglow with beautiful lighting as it dominated the view of Trim. The B&B was on a road going out of Trim. Sarsfeld got all our luggage, and when Miriam, the proprietor of the B&B, saw all twelve bags she said, "It looks like you are staying for a year!" And I said, "We are." She asked if I would like a cup of tea. I thought that sounded wonderful on such a cold, harsh September evening. She made cheese sandwiches as well for us in the central room all B&B's have for their guests which is separate from the family's living quarters. Her name was Miriam O'Mahoney and her husband was Con, short for Cornelius. I learned she had three children, Katherine, 18, Gerald, about 17, and Grainne 13 and Erin's age. We went to our rooms, got settled in for the night, and were asleep by 8:30. All in all, crossing the ocean and crossing the country was wonderfully pleasant and easy. Our adventure had truly begun.
Next: the trials and tribulations of settling Erin and Eli into schools.
Now on to that first meal on Irish soil. It left much to be desired. Even though I had my trusty traveler's guide to Ireland with me, I was too preoccupied for that. How to put this delicately: Nature paid me a monthly visit, and I discovered this in the ladies room at the restaurant where we had stopped while crossing Ireland from Shannon to Dublin on the CIE bus. As we started off to get our first taste of Dublin, I had trouble with my pad--it kept riding up the back of me and looked like I had a growth on my ass. So the excitement of sharing the discovery of this amazing European capital city with my children was all about the protrusion on my butt. So much for the pretense of being the sophisticated traveler. All illusions were trampled forevermore.
The first thing that hit us when we walked out onto the cityscape that was mid-80s Dublin: it was a city of beggars. Little children, women, cripples--all hounded us as we walked every block. I had never experienced anything like this--even in the worst sections of NY at that time. I was simply amazed.
Erin and Eli discovered a McDonald's®, but I refused saying that we did not cross the pond to eat Big Macs®. I then told them the story of an English professor I had at UAlbany whose two elderly female friends toured Mexico eating at every Howard Johnson®. What a way to experience Mexico and Mexican cuisine just to avoid the runs. I told them to expect some diarrhea on this venture. They glared at me like I was a crazy lady. If looks could kill...
We saw the River Liffey in all its brown glory and the statue of Daniel O'Connell as we toured O'Connell Street searching for a place to eat. For £10--expensive by US standards--we got the worst cheeseburgers, Cokes®, and coffee imaginable. Of course, later we were to find out all Irish beef was tasteless, and the only place that served real coffee in all of Ireland was Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street. The burgers tasted more like meatloaf--very spicy--and that is because since the meat is tasteless, the spice at least gives it some flavor. I also discovered on our first day in Ireland that it was not the custom to provide a second cup of coffee for free. This did not bode well for me--a great lover of coffee. We also learned there was no tipping so the wait staff was less than accommodating to put it euphemistically. I was ready to give a £2 tip when Erin and Eli said no one was leaving any money at the tables. And I found out later the tax--the VAT--was already added to the price of the food. We also all went to the bathroom at the restaurant, and not one of us could figure out how to flush the toilets. Lordy, lordy. At least there were a few little, rough, brown squares that passed as toilet paper. We were beginning to be thankful for small favors.
At the bus station we bought some post cards. Jimmy came rushing over when he saw us, got our luggage, and put it all on the bus to Trim. As we boarded, I told Sarsfeld that the driver from Shannon had said he would be able to find us a good B&B along the bus route and he did. It was ABSLOLUTELY POURING for the entire hour to Trim. It was hard to see, but we could appreciate the beauty of Trim Castle--the largest Norman castle in Ireland--aglow with beautiful lighting as it dominated the view of Trim. The B&B was on a road going out of Trim. Sarsfeld got all our luggage, and when Miriam, the proprietor of the B&B, saw all twelve bags she said, "It looks like you are staying for a year!" And I said, "We are." She asked if I would like a cup of tea. I thought that sounded wonderful on such a cold, harsh September evening. She made cheese sandwiches as well for us in the central room all B&B's have for their guests which is separate from the family's living quarters. Her name was Miriam O'Mahoney and her husband was Con, short for Cornelius. I learned she had three children, Katherine, 18, Gerald, about 17, and Grainne 13 and Erin's age. We went to our rooms, got settled in for the night, and were asleep by 8:30. All in all, crossing the ocean and crossing the country was wonderfully pleasant and easy. Our adventure had truly begun.
Next: the trials and tribulations of settling Erin and Eli into schools.
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