Irish Potatoes

If one word were to summarize Ireland (I am sure you guess it): potatoes. While in Glenncholmcille, we are lucky enough to have all three meals provided and I have eaten more potatoes this week than I would have in a month back home. For breakfast, we have a traditional Irish fry which includes a potato pancake with a fried egg, sausage links, bacon, and blood sausage or black pudding. The bacon is closer to Canadian bacon in that it is basically ham. The blood sausage is very interesting though. It is made with actual pork blood, meat, and filler which is typically oatmeal. Once you get past the idea of blood sausage, it is actually quite delicious. For other meals, baked potatoes and mashed potatoes are staples.
Most meals include food items that you could find in the US. For dinner, I have had quiche, chicken, haddock, and a steak burger. The proportions have also been similar. Also, in Dublin many American chains are all over the city. I have seen McDonald’s Burger King, Starbucks, and Subway spread throughout, but I have also spotted a KFC and TGIFridays. On Monday, we will be heading back there and we will again be responsible for feeding ourselves. Luckily, while we are staying at the University College of Dublin, we will have a stove top and microwave in order to cook meals and try and save some euro. I hope that we are able to try and make more traditional Irish meals, though I am sure that they are still similar to what we would eat in America. Meal times and etiquette follow American patterns, except that a tea or coffee break is also often included between breakfast and lunch. That is one of the benefits of traveling to an English speaking country that was also once under British rule. Food is one of my passions and I am glad that there isn’t too much of a culture shock associated with it.