What has one month of living in Dublin taught me?
- Always, always carry an umbrella, no matter the forecast. But never wear galoshes unless you want to stand out like the greenhorn American you are. Real Dubliners get their feet wet, and they learn to live with it. Love it, even.
- When in doubt, ask for help. Someone will likely know the way! And if they don't, they'll give you the names and phone numbers of four of their best friends who can help you.
- Some things you just have to leave to chance and spontaneity. Things like bus schedules, train destinations, postal fees, menu selections --- who needs a structure? Just go with the flow. It'll either work out, or you'll have a great story to tell about the time you ended up in Limerick instead of Dublin.
- Speaking of travel, cab drivers DO NOT need to be tipped. I don't know why I tipped 10 Euro. This is why I'm poor!
- The reason people abroad think Americans are idiots? What would you think, after feeding on a steady diet of Hulk Hogan, "The Hills," "Pimp My Ride," and "America's Got Talent"? I propose that the American television shows that have flooded the European market were chosen specifically to portray the worst of American culture. It's appalling.
- Condiments here are disturbingly vague. I wholeheartedly admit that I am Little Miss Ketchup --- but trips to the grocery store here leave me with goosebumps.
(Photo by Carmen Angelica, comedienne extraordinaire)Salad Cream?! You know what it really is? Mayonnaise. If that's not your thing, you could always opt for some good old-fashioned HP Sauce. It comes in two flavors - HP Original or HP Fruity. Both are considered to be standard European condiments. When asking a grocery store employee what exactly HP Sauce is, you're met with a blank stare. "It's brown sauce." I should have guessed! In restaurants, you're given the choice of two major condiments: brown sauce, or red sauce. That's as much as you get. Both are elusive and disappointing in their nothingness. Sometimes you get lucky, and are offered white sauce for an extra Euro. But why bother, when you've got Salad Cream?
It's weird to think I'm in October, while everyone back home is still blissfully enjoying September. Make the most of it, you guys! I'm living in the future, and I see what this October's bringing. Big surprise: rain.
3 comments:
I LOLed at the salad cream.
Belloc supposedly said that France was the land of one religion and a thousand sauces, England the land of one sauce and a thousand religions. But clearly the implied culinary superiority of The Church does not apply where the English write has run.
As for "salad cream" you can sort of see why the Irish don't call it "Mayo".
Oops. For "write" read "writ". Those of us who are neither lawyers nor good typists have trouble stopping after the 't'.
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