Food has to be one of my favorite things in the world! After telling people of my acceptance to the Victory Scholars program, many people said that I would like the food in Ireland. My friends and family notoriously make fun of me for having “tan-colored” plates, loaded with many breads and potatoes. I guess Ireland with its brown bread, meat, and potatoes, seemed like a perfect place for me to be.
My two favorite foods in Ireland have to be the spice bag and beef stew. A spice bag can be bought at a Chinese restaurant or takeaway place. It is essentially a massive bag of french fries, spices, onions, peppers, and shredded chicken. Apparently spice bags are only sold in Ireland, so I will have to leave them behind or start my own business in the U.S. A popular pub in Galway called, “The Front Door,” makes an incredible beef stew. This meal is definitely your basic meat and potatoes type meal, but it never disappoints!
I was surprised by the fact that Galway has an incredibly diverse range of restaurants. If you walk through town, you can find authentic Irish food, but you can also find Indian, Nepalese, Moroccan, Mexican, Italian, and Chinese restaurants. I never expected such a broad range of options in one city. I don’t eat out too often, but it’s great to have so many options when I do. While I do love meat and potatoes, the food scene in Galway provides much more than that.
In my exercise physiology course, we learn a lot about nutrition, and I’ve realized how critically important it is to fuel our bodies for activity! Since arriving in Ireland, I have gotten a lot more adventurous with vegetables and I have actually learned how to cook a few things! Being a Victory Scholar has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone in many ways, and opening myself up to new foods and recipes is just one example of this.
