So, lets go back for a hot sec. I have explained why the blog has been created, but have not told you anything about myself really. First of all let me preface this blog by stating that I have a loose grasp of grammar at best, to me it has always been much more of an abstract concept. Please do not judge.
I have recently returned from Galway, Ireland where I lived and worked for nearly eight months. I did not go to school there, I did not know anyone in the country, and I had no money, job, or place to live. Basically it was a crazy ass dream that I actually went through with. Bananas. I eventually did find a job working at the uber posh five star G-Hotel (check it out the pictures are really pretty http://www.theghotel.ie/g/ ). I began my career at the G-Hotel in their super fancy restaurant serving breakfast. My parents were very proud that I was utilizing my college education:) During my time spent in the restaurant I gained an intimate knowledge of Irish breakfast foods. If someone asked you for 'brown sauce' they do not mean A-1 sauce they mean a sauce that comes from an actual honest to God bottle labeled 'Brown Sauce'. It really does exist. I should not have been too surprised as this was coming from the country that devours black and white pudding, a meat dish that is named after its inclusion or exclusion of pigs blood. After months of serving 'rashers' (bacon) and 'kippers' (smoked raw fish) I was ready for a change.
I was moved to the spa within the hotel called 'ESPA at the g'. obviously there was little interaction with food within the spa. The therapist who worked there existed on a diet of cigarettes and scones and the guests in for treatments were all trying to 'cleanse' their bodies of the massive plate of fish and chips they had devoured the night before. It was decided then that if I wanted to explore the culinary side of Ireland I would have to do so on my own.
My culinary journey started off a wee bit biased however, due to the fact that the entire country of Ireland does not acknowledge the existence of ranch dressing. They have no idea what it is, Cooler Ranch Doritos are even called something else. I really felt like it was a big nation wide conspiracy to deprive me of my go to food staple. I believe strongly that anything edible can be improved by Ranch dressing, anything. Ireland did have Diet Coke in abundance though so I was able to survive, and did not immediately purchase a ticket back to the land of sour patch kids and Taco Bell.
Don't get me wrong the Irish do have some notable delicacy's, however most of them are stolen from other countries. When you are drunk and wandering the streets searching for your 'fourth meal' you go to a Kebab shop, not McDonald's or Chanellos. Whenever you order ANYTHING it automatically comes with a side of at least two forms of potato, and there I was thinking the Irish had trouble growing potato's. Silly me. Galway did have amazing fresh fish and I actually began to develop a certain appreciation for lamb, so I suppose that my horizons were broadened in the process. The only ethnic group not represented in Irish cuisine was Mexican food, you could not find a taco to save your life in that country, it is probably for the best though because they would probably find some way to put a potato into a tortilla shell and sell it.
It's totally fine though because Ireland is so expensive that you really have to choose between eating and drinking and I am sure you can imagine which usually wins out on the Emerald Isles. They are very proud of the beer and spirits produced in Ireland and are resigned to being a little lacking in the culinary department. You don't hear very many complaints about it though, after enough pints potato's tend to look amazing:)
While I enjoyed Ireland, serving breakfast at seven a.m. and selling four hundred euro treatments to desperate Irish housewives was not the creative outlet that I was hoping for and I am very glad to be back at the Catering Company. There is nothing like being surrounded by all the crazy randomness that I have grown to know and love.
viva la Williamsburg!
Keep 'em coming, Air!!
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