… means “Merry Christmas” in Irish.
Month: November 2009
Un-Turkey Day
Thanksgiving in Japan, 2008: The equipment: Two gas burners, one toaster oven, one microwave, no kitchen counter. The menu: Pan-roasted chicken, Maggie’s World Famous stuffing, mashed potatoes, canned corn, green bean casserole, gravy, dried cranberries, Mon Frere red wine. The Veuve Cliquot Champagne was a congratulatory gift from Nakata-san after Obama was elected. Thanksgiving in […]
On This Day in Dublin, 23 November 2009
A group of Dubliners are talking about Pat Kenny’s RTE One interview with some of the many civil servants who are planning to strike tomorrow. Man 1: And he, asking yer one what she’s had to give up now that she’s on the dole. He, making 600,000 euro a year. Be a little sympathetic, you […]
Today in Dublin, 20 November 2009
A man laid out flat on his back on Grafton Street; a crowd gathered round as an ambulance screamed towards the scene. Elsewhere, in between Ranelagh Road and Rathmines, a truck zoomed through a fat puddle and aggressively splashed a girl on the sidewalk, completely soaking her left side. She screamed in outrage like a […]
Today in Dublin, 19 November 2009
… the stinging wind and rain blow so hard that sticking out of a trash bin on Adelaide Road are the remains of a black umbrella – twisted and bent like a mangled bat wing.
Osmosis, Like
Acclimating to a new country is so different this time around, thanks in enormous part to the fact that I speak the official language. As such, I’m able to pick up things about Irish culture simply by listening and looking. It’s learning at its lazy finest. Here, some tidbits I’ve picked up over the past […]
No, Guys – Thank YOU
So there we were at Malahide Castle; ancestral home of the Talbot family. Photography of the fantastical centuries-old furnishings and portraits are strictly forbidden so when we left the castle interior, I sprang like a cat to snap anything I could. While photographing the arched gate-cum-portculis (complete with a mini door for the Puck, the […]
Buy Me, You Fool
In these days of economic crisis, I see signs like this in all the shops. Buy Me, I’m Irish. Irish grown. Support Irish industries. P.S. – We’re Irish. Hey, Mr. Cowen!, emblazoned on a Burger King Recession Special bus stop ad. Some of the stores even list Irish-made products separately on receipts so buyers can […]
Card Cake
Sean’s mother: Bring some of the chocolate cake on the train with you. It’s a long ride back up to Dublin. Liv: Oh, I’m fine. Thank you! Sean’s mother: Ah, go on, sure. Sean: Yeah, go on. Bring some cake witcha. Sean’s brother: Do you want some cards to bring with you on the trip? Liv: Oh, […]