As I touched on in a previous post, salt is commonly obtained in one of two ways, from the sea or mined, and those methods go back millennia. Rock salt occurs in vast beds of sedimentary minerals, the last reminder of dried up lakes and seas. In the United States and Canada extensive underground...
The Claddagh ring is a universal symbol of love, but how much did you know about it? If you are like me, you recognize its universal design, and stop there. Ah, but there’s an entire backstory that is fascinating. I am lucky to have a mother who teaches me something new when I least...
If you’ve read my previous post on Ireland, you know one of my complaints about Rick Steves is that he omitted the City of Cork from his Ireland travel guide. I thought that was an incredible oversight, although he was quick to offer Kinsale and Cobh as alternatives, and I agree that both are...
The custom of eating pork on New Year’s is based on the notion that pigs symbolize progress or prosperity for many cultures – not a connection that may immediately come to mind. The animal pushes forward, rooting in the ground before moving, symbolizing progress. In Italy, the fatty meat also symbolizes the fattening of...
Kinsale was one of my favorite destinations while in Ireland. How could it not be? It’s very picturesque and known as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland. I will not comment on that claim, as I have not the depth of knowledge of Ireland’s food scene, but my limited exposure tells me, if its not...
I recently swapped a few emails with FoodGal about haggis before my trip to Ireland and the exchange reminded me of my time in London when I enjoyed sampling the different flavors of potato chips (or crisps as they call theme) with my lunch time sandwich – I tried to never repeat a flavor....
When I lived in London, pubs were my “go to” spots, primarily because I barely knew a soul. I found I could go to most any pub, grab a pint and a meal without feeling the least bit awkward. In the pub, I never felt obligated to enter as part of a group –...
A few of my fellow bloggers have recognized my blog and I want to say a belated “thank you” to Sophie at Sophies Foodiefiles (an incredibly talented chef who hails from Belgium, and from whom I continually get inspired). Gera from SweetsFoods, an engineer (a fellow after my own heart) who hails from Uruguay...
Halloween is fast approaching. I know because I just spent a few days with my niece and I got the details on this much anticipated holiday from her costume (a garden fairy) to the fact that old people do not wear costumes (she’s four). She informed me of this sad fact when I asked...
I never appreciated the strong connection that the Irish had with Guinness, until my recent trip to Ireland, and saw the anticipation leading up to Arthur’s Day on September 24, 2009 – a celebration of 250 years of Guinness. I was in Ireland 2 weeks prior to this event and can I tell you,...
