Wonderlust
Blogpost June 25, 2019
Galway City, Galway, Ireland
Top o' the morning, friends, frenemies, and family,
Since several of you keep harassing me to write more blogs (you know who you are), I’m convinced that some of you are bigger slackers than I am. But I’ve always know that. Do you think I have nothing better to do than come up with some drivel to fill this page? Don’t answer that. Ok, since you insist….
I hate explaining myself, don’t you? When people ask me how I occupy myself, I am often at a loss. All I know is that I’m always busy doing whatever it is that I do. Like my mother, who viewed the world out her kitchen window (yes, sometimes even with binoculars), I read, listen, observe, question, and try to satisfy my curiosity.
So, here’s what I’ve been wondering about lately:
Why do we eat one thing when we are traveling and another when we are home? Here in Ireland, we eat Weetabix nearly every day. It’s available in the U.S. Why do we never eat it? They also eat beans and grilled tomatoes for breakfast here, but that’s a habit we haven’t acquired.
Bob raves about the crepes at a restaurant called Java’s, and we’ve been back four times to enjoy them. He claims, “You can’t get these in Columbia.” You know me, I Googled it and discovered that crepes are, in fact, available at ten places in CoMo, including Bob Evans and Denny’s. So there. I don’t need to travel across the ocean to walk down a charming cobblestone street and sit in a cozy café with soothing background music, charming wooden tables and chairs, and a view to the passing parade to enjoy a crepe with carmelized apples, cinnamon, and hearty Irish whipped cream.
Why is lasagna served with chips (aka “French fries) or mashed potatoes here? The potato lobbying group must be very strong. Furthermore, the noodle lobbying group must be very weak, as most servings of lasagna I’ve had have had only one noodle on top. To make things even stranger, lasagna is often served in a bowl with a spoon.
Why doesn’t anybody like regular potato chips in Ireland? Crisps (aka “potato chips)” here come in flavors such as Irish cider vinegar and sea salt, smokey bacon, and prawn cocktail. Really? I guess the vinegar and prawn lobbies must be powerful here. What else could explain these strange tastes? Has no one ever gone to the U.S. and tasted Lay’s? Just wondering.
Ok, enough on food. Let’s move on.
In addition to regular potato chips, I am also missing my friend Alexa. She is my kitchen friend (and spy?) at home. When I need an item, I just tell her to add it to my grocery list. When I get to the store, I check my phone and there is my list. Very cool. Well, since I don’t have her here, my traveling companion has taken to saying, “Tizzie, add _________to the grocery list.” Very funny.
LOST AND FOUND
Bob’s billfold
Bob claims that the “chair design” in his classroom caused his billfold to fall out of his pocket the first day of class. While we had a night of worry, the billfold was found and turned in to security. I did discover as I called around to see where it might be that no one knows what a billfold is; the proper word is wallet. Now you know. If you want me to photograph the chair for further study, let me know.
Bob’s credit card
He didn’t even know it was missing. The cafeteria lady at the university asked him if he’d left it there the day before. Sure enough, he had. Ireland is a great place to lose things, as you nearly always get them back.
One gold hoop earring (Tizzie’s, in case you’re wondering)
This item never goes off my list as I am always in search of a matched pair of gold hoop earrings. I’ve lost so many over the years that I’ve been told -- not kindly, I might add – to just throw an earring on the sidewalk each time I go out to just get it over with. That’s not very nice. The good news is that I think the one I have at home nearly matches the one I lost here. I have my fingers crossed.
My Viking cap
This one does really hurt as I loved that cap. I must have dropped it at the beach. It has not been found. It’s navy with a Viking ship on it just in case it blows your way. Nancy has kindly offered to give me hers.
IRISH HOSPITALITY
We had fun visit with Bob’s cousins. They went to a lot of trouble to pick us up, drive us a couple of hours to their home, and feed us a delicious meal. Bob and his first cousin spent a long and rewarding time getting to know each other and sharing family stories. Evidently, Bob looks just like his uncle, who he never met, so they liked to look at himJ
While walking at the beach on Sunday, I met a nice Irish lady who offered to show me around the mobile home/campsite at the beach at Salt Hill. After a fine tour of the grounds, the campers’ kitchen and bathroom facilities, she asked me into her mobile home for tea. Unfortunately, I had left Bob sitting on a bench a mile away with all my stuff, including my phone, so I couldn’t take her up on it. I was afraid Bob might think someone had kidnapped me. But it’s just another example of Irish hospitality. They really are the nicest people.
Curiouser and curiouser,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Liz/Elizabeth/Tizmom/Grandma/Grizzie
I loved reading about your adventure!
ReplyDeleteCarry on!
—from Mary McElvain