September 17th, 2013 | Uncategorized
As many of my friends and family know food is very important to me, mainly because I enjoy any type of food and also trying new things. So I’ve decided to make a list of comparisons and statements regarding my experiences with Irish food versus my ever favorite Philly/American foods.
1. Super Size it – The first thing I’ve realized is how SMALL the portions are here in Ireland. Or maybe America’s portions are just too big? (wonder if that correlates to the growing obesity problem..)
2. Tea, Tea and more Tea – I’ve never drank so much tea and coffee in my entire life. At any time of day and for absolutely any occasion; tea is the answer.
3. Irish Soda Bread and Scones are my new replacement for my Philly soft pretzel addiction.
4. Turkish Kabab- My first time having one here and they’re are dangerously delicious. Mix of lamb and chicken on a grilled pita with lettuce, slaw, tomato, topped with garlic and chilli sauce…bang, bang. My new replacement for my Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak obsession (there’s a Kabab shop on just about every street here…also dangerous.)
5. Chips – also known as fries where I come from. Expect chips with every single meal, but not to there are super crisp and tasty as every potato is from this country.
6. Seafood – You can’t beat the seafood here in Galway. As the river is full of salmon and runs directly through this city, you will have the freshest fish of your life.
7. Diluted Orange – this is a strong concentrate of either Orange or Blackcurrant (Cranberry) flavoring that you add to water to. You won’t find Vitamen Water or the range of Gatorade flavors from America when you go out to eat, but you will have your standard choice of dilutes as a stable drink.
8. Where’s Beef? – Actually it’s more like where are the greens? For a salad lover such as myself it’s hard to find a good salad place here, because almost every meal is just a variety of meats accompanied with chips or potatoes.
9. Ranch- Wait what’s Ranch? There is no such thing in Ireland, the closest I’ve come to find is the popular “garlic sauce”. Along with ranch, hot sauce and buffalo sauce are also very hard to find here … *tear*
10. Beer and Cider – America can’t hold a candle to how delicious their draft Guinness and Bulmer’s Cider are here. It’s especially emabarassing when the only American beers that are sold in the pubs are Budweiser (bud heavy) and Coors Light…(why?).
11. Pizza – the popular late night pizza place in Galway is deffinitely fulfilling at the time but unfortunately doesn’t compare to the slices you can get in Manayunk or at the Jersey Shore at the same hour.
12. Salads – No not regular salads, these salads are either cole slaw, potato salad, or egg salad and are a staple on just about every sandwich and or meal.
13. Curry- Chicken Curry is huge here and is as popular as Mexican and Asian cuisine is in America. I guess this will have to do to replace my Qdoba burrito and General Tso chicken cravings.
14. CANDY – the candy and more sepcifically chocolate in Ireland is out of this world. I’m from the same state where America’s Hersey’s Chocolate orginates, so it pains me to say this but literally any candy bar I’ve tried here puts America’s to shame! I don’t know what they do differently but the chocolate is so rich and creamy that I will not be surprised to come back home with a few cavities.
Just felt the need to give a quick run down on the food situation as I know some of you were curious. To sum it up, there are definitely pros and cons to each country’s food culture, luckily my Mom and Dad raised me right and I am the furthest thing from a picky eater! Until next post…Cheers!
