2004 Year in Review

Would I go hungry in Ireland?

Prior to taking our trip to Ireland we seemed well prepared enough and mentally we were ready.Except for one minor item.....I actually was worried about going hungry.Now I am not really a person requiring large amounts of food during the day and sometimes I go along for up to 10 hours without anything resembling food.This trip overseas seemed to bother me regarding finding eating establishments however.Possibly the potato famine was playing into my thought process, but I am aware that was over 150 years ago and actually lasted only a few years but with devastating effect on the Irish population.Something else must have been bothering me about availibility of Irish eateries.We pored over lots of books and all the pictures were dramatic and beautiful and that must have been it, never a picture of a restaurant and of course you never see fast food businesses on a roadside in the Irish countryside.No doubt if you brought a skewer along and the "barby" there are plenty of mutton chops on the "hoof"but you might have a problem with the farmer herding his sheep past you.Never having been to this land was the problem.......I was just confused with the reality of how the Irish enjoy eating and their eating establishments.

Although our trip was shorter in duration than planned for, the time spent in Dublin and Galway completely reassured me that my prior "eating concerns" were silly at best.My first observations were at Dublin Airport where I first noticed the vending machines containing water bottles. Bottled water is everywhere and the vending machines that contain them are as plentiful as our own soft drink machines.Our first true meal was at a pub that evening and what a delight it was.One must first realize a new wave is occurring in Ireland where the pubs, which are truly the social gathering places, were up in arms with a new No Smoking ban just put in place this past January 2004.Many pub owners believed their business was to be ruined if their clients were not allowed to smoke anymore. However the law did go into affect and many pubs expanded their menus so as to entice people (mainly tourists)to come in and buy a meal along with their Guinness.Much to our delight, many pubs seem to also believe that "supersizing" in Ireland means 2 or 3 servings of every item on the menu at the regular prices.That first meal additionally had a treat with some of the customers enjoying their pints of Guinness broke into several beautiful Irish ballads. Most interesting was how the pub owner, although also enjoying the spontaneous outburst of joyful singing, informed these singers they would have to move to the next pub if they didn't start singing about the girls of Cork as they were much better looking than the Dubliners they were singing about.Our meal of Irish potatoes, ham , fresh vegetables and our own "pint" was making my food worries disappear fast.

Breakfast the first morning in Dublin we were able to enjoy at an attached Bewley's Cafe.Not knowing what to expect, I wanted to try anything and everything.Now even though that previous evening had started my food worries to go away I was still a little concerned, but not for long.Breakfast was served first as we sat at a booth seemingly carved out of a thousand year old oak tree and an Irish girl of about 18 and whom I could not understand waited on us. Luckily, Debby and Jenny either listen better than I or just plain decipher that Irish brogue determined we could start by ordering coffee and oatmeal along with orange juice and toast. That finished we were treated to Irish bacon which is a very large slice of what I would call Canadian bacon and fresh pork sausages.Our server then brought the lightest scrambled eggs we have ever eaten. What we were most enamored with was the half tomatoes, served in halves after being boiled.Never having eaten tomatoes as a breakfast item, these seemed to taste extra good and being served hot they complimented the eggs and sausages perfectly.Thruout the meal our server kept bringing more hot and fresh Bewley's coffee which we seemed to keep sipping and finding the bottom of our cups continually.While in Ireland we enjoyed 5 straight breakfasts like this and towards the end of our stay I was wondering what would run out first in the country, the tomatoes or the Bewley's?The baking items are a story you can ask Debby about if you visit her at The Coffee Garden in Morrison.The breads and scones are so delicious and made fresh daily everywhere...........and you know what?I can't for the life of me figure why in the world I could have ever worried about where and what to eat in Ireland.There undoubtedly are wonderful places on this planet to find and enjoy foods and food establishments but I will be going back to Ireland and enjoy more of those wonderful breakfasts before I start worrying about the food in France or Italy or Brazil or.......

Just as a post script thank you to all who have inquired about Jenny and our shortened Irish trip. Jenny is doing just fine, back in law school after a couple of days in the hospital in Chicago and looking forward to going back to Ireland, after graduation next year!

by Bob Vaughn, theCity1.com
March 24, 2004