‘We cut and mixed and stirred our hearts out for the food’

Overall, the kinds of food here in Dublin are not extremely different from those in the United States. One prominent difference is the heavy use of mashed potatoes here in Ireland, or more commonly referred to as simply “mash”.  Overall portion sizes here tend to be smaller than that of dishes served in the United States. The fries, or chips as they’re called here, definitely taste less greasy. They also look more like deep fried wedges of potatoes, rather than a stick of who-knows-what. The food that we’re eating just seems to be of an overall higher quality. The main issue here is that there are not many greens or vegetables served in proportion to how many carbs are served to you. Also, when you go out to eat there is really no need for tipping. The waiters are being paid a wage suited for living and do not require or desire tips as much as the waiters in the U.S. do. Along this same line, items purchased in grocery stores already have the sales tax built in, and therefore anything you buy you are spending the face-value price on.

I eat most of my meals around Arcadia University’s classroom, which is the global studies university our program is working through. I also like to buy these delicious sandwiches here on UCD’s campus at a shop called Centra,which has a deli. The sandwiches range in price from 2 to 3.50 euro. It’s a steal I can’t pass up! I’ve also cooked a few meals for myself. I’ve gotten very good at cooking eggs and pasta in the past week.

The most interesting local food I’ve had so far was a vegan meal actually. Our group did a cooking class here with Cooks Academy, and learned how to make our very own vegan food. We cut and mixed and stirred our hearts out for the food, and it came out surprisingly well! We made a Brazilian nut roast over pureed roasted cauliflower, with plum sauce poured on top. Next to that we had a salad comprised of Swiss chard and other leafy greens. And for dessert we ate a chocolate mousse made with avocados and topped with nuts and raspberries. I have never had a meal quite like it. It was fairly good, but I am so used to eating like an omnivore that I started to crave a cheeseburger halfway through, and struggled a little to finish my meal. The dish was excellent, but the textures and flavors were all very new to me. The dessert, however, was amazing! The avocados were really put in to make the chocolate creamier. You couldn’t taste them at all! I was dying to get seconds of the dessert.