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Published: March 16th 2008
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Ulster Fry
mmmmmm...... With St. Patrick's day being tomorrow, doesn't Ireland seem like an appropriate place to write about this week? I spent 2 weeks visiting my friends in Northern Ireland back in 2001, and only spent a few days in the actual Republic of Ireland. In just a few short days, I did learn a few interesting tidbits of Irish culture.
Irish cuisine overall is nothing to scream at, and yes, it is pretty bland and boring. Corned beef and cabbage, sausages, and crisps pretty much round out the Irish diet, and you won't find a Taco Bell on the entire island. However, if there is one thing the Irish do know how to do, it's how to start your day off with a heart attack. I'm referencing none other than the famous Ulster Fry, also known as a "proper breakfast" to the locals. If you think a "lumberjack special" or "Moons Over Mi-hammy" are top morning dishes, the Ulster Fry puts them to shame. Start with a nice helping of greasy bacon and some blood sausage for your meats. Next, add on a couple slices of Irish soda bread and real potato bread. To add some vegetables, throw on some Heinz
Jalapeno Burger
Irish version of American food. baked beans dripping in tomato sauce. If you're feeling saucy, throw on some mushrooms and tomato. Now if that wasn't enough food to feed Bob Sapp, oh there's one more additional touch. Top off the whole thing with a nice, unhealthy fried egg, again, dripping in grease. Oh yes, this is considered a delicacy over in Ireland. I must admit, I've had the Ulster Fry, but I could not stomach the fried egg. Not being a huge egg fan in general, this was easy to pass up. Best part by far is the potato bread, which is like eating a mashed potato pie or something like that. Pretty f**king delicious if you ask me. Also to note, when rugby games are shown in the morning, this dish is served with a nice pint of your favorite ale for an extra kick. Who says you can't have beer with breakfast?
While we're talking about Irish cuisine, it is funny to mention their persception of American food. We were walking along the street of Dublin, and my friends wanted to grab a bite to eat. One of my friends noticed a Johnny Rockets nearby, and said "Want to see how the
Irish do American food?". Not knowing what a Johnny Rockets was (believe it or not), I said, sure, why the hell not. Mind you, Johnny Rockets hadn't opened up in Western Mass, so I had no clue what this was. I honestly thought it was some Irish chain of American style diners. I looked at the menu and was not surprised. Cheesburgers, chili burgers, and bacon chili cheeseburgers. My friend Johnny exclaimed "How do you Americans live?". I honestly don't know, Johnny, I really don't. I ordered up an "Atomic Burger" which had a chili sauce and jalepenos, because clearly jalepenos are totally American. Not a bad burger. Well, at least I knew what to order when I returned back to the states right?
Dublin is also place that brought out some comments out of my friend Johnny. Of course, it is a place that is filled with "Irish souvinier shops". This means little stores filled with Guinness paraphanalia, leprechaun trinkets, wool sweaters, and other really tacky crap. Irish people hate nothing more than these shops. They're pretty much embarrassed, but it's what makes money from the tourists, right? I only got to spend a day in Dublin, but
More Donegal
Very green and blue. I still need to do a pub crawl around the city. I will not be spending any money at any of these stores.
If you want to get a taste of real Ireland, you have to go outside into the country. I was able to spend a couple days in Donegal with my friend Daniel and his family @ their caravan. Donegal is a beautiful area, where waves crash along the rocks, and green just fills the landscape. Fresh air and clean water are abundent, and without the number of family caravans there, the area would be totally secluded. It's quite peaceful, except at the pub a mile down the road from the caravans where everyone heads to after dark. We took some funny pictures that looked like we were hanging over cliffs in Donegal, and it was cool to just walk around and take in the scenery. No way was I going into the freezing water. You have to put on a wet suit to go in if you don't want to get hypothermia. No thanks. However, I did enjoying knocking back a few pints in that aforementioned pub. It was a real traditional Irish pub with a thatched roof and all, and a bunch of drunk Irishmen babbling on about who knows what. It's true, the Irish accent is a tough one to understand. At close, they play the Irish national anthem, and everyone pours out of their pubs back to the caravans. It's a simple way to spend the night, but the Irish like it just fine.
Have a good St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, enjoy your pints, and safe travels.
-Kacz
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