Gunternation

It’s Christmastime in Ireland, and Christmastime in Ireland means Mince Pies. They are huge here! Well, small actually, but ubiquitous. In Victorian times, mincemeat was spiced meat with fruit. The current version may include suet along with fruit; I need to check the ingredients. We’ve already had the opportunity to enjoy them a few times, and are looking forward to more. At right, our yuletide pleasure is evident.

Last week we attended a Christmas Food Emporium which was part of the National Arts and Crafts Fair. It was a great opportunity to try, yea buy, many Irish-made products. This scene was repeated frequently:

Vendor: Hello, would you like to try this baked good/savory item/confection/dairy product/beverage?
Us: Why thank you. Mmm…this is delicious!
Vendor: It’s made by hand/of organic ingredients/with love/from our own cows.
Us: We’ll take it!

This type of high-pressure sale resulted in the following purchases over two nights:

• jalapeno-stuffed olives
• viognier vino
• rabbit terrine
• meat pies
• cheese (with seaweed!)
• stollen with soft marzipan layer
• christmas bread (fruit bread with marzipan and icing)
• mini, caramel-filled waffles
• nougat
• pumpkin chutney
• fig and rhubarb jam
• Indian pickle
• granola
• Irish sausage
• white pudding

I was very excited to find jalopeno-stuffed olives. A taste of home.

Saturday Bill and I had dinner at Gallagher’s Boxty House in Temple Bar. Our previous attempts to dine here had been thwarted by 2-hour waits. Going at 5:00, we got right in. (We had a late breakfast of eggs with aforementioned sausage and white pudding, so were ready for early dinner.) I had the titular boxty, a potato pancake with filling. The pancake is more crepe than latke. My filling was gammon steak (i.e., ham) with spring onion sauce. Quite yummy, perfect-for-cold-weather food. My salad with camenbert and pear was delicious as well. Bill started with chicken liver pâté, and had bacon, cabbage and champ for entrée. Champ is mashed potatoes with scallions, or in local parlance, mash with spring onions.

I’ve been remiss in photographing our food recently, but here’s a picture of my dinner last night–a tasty, decently spicy, Thai green curry at one of Raheny’s pubs, The Watermill.

Bill had lasagna and chips. We’ve totally given in to that culinary phenomenon.

Our church in Austin, River of Life, invited us to send a video to show at their Christmas Party/Talent Night which was held last evening. We tried to capture some sights and sounds of Dublin, which we thought you might all enjoy. This is a fairly low res version. Sorry, film aficionados!

And now, let’s ride the train!

Hello, This is Toblerone, everyone’s favorite beagle! I am attempting my first post on this blog. I just want to reassure everyone that I am doing well. I have spent the last 3 and a half months with the Bockelmans and Clouses. I am getting adjusted to the weather, the new house, new people and new rules. Can you believe they won’t feed me at the dinner table? And I am not allowed to sleep on their bed? I didn’t think I could handle it, but now I feel right at home. I do miss Chuy’s and all the other good restaurant food that my mom and dad brought home.

Life at the Farm:
Here I am checking out the view from Trevor’s bedroom.

I have met a few friends here at my new house. One of them is Trevor. He is the baby of the family. I like to lick him in the face and roll around near him. But I never give him special hugs. I also have a new friend of a different kind. His name is Butterscotch. He just came to the house a month or so ago. We like to chase each other in the house and make noise.

My Friends:
Trevor
Butterscotch

Debbie mentioned the other day that I haven’t posted any pictures of the coast near our apartment. We’re just one block from the causeway that leads out to Bull Island. Bull Island is a new island, as islands go. It started forming about 200 years ago when the first sea wall was built in Dublin Bay, causing sand to accumulate. As development of Dublin Harbour continued throughout the 19th century, sandbanks continued to grow and eventually began to support sea grass and other wildlife. Bull Island is now a nature reserve.

Bull Island

My parents and I walked out the beach, or strand, one afternoon. The area between the coast and the island is marshy, and you climb over some dunes to reach the strand. The island also has car access. The beach is sandy, and reminds me of Galveston (i.e., Florida need not worry–although Ireland is not prone to hurricanes). We saw dogs frolicking in the surf and kids throwing a football, or rugby ball, or something. The strand is quite popular in the summer and is a favorite spot for kite surfing. I’ll definitely post some pics if I become a kite surfer.

Hey blog gang, I was taking some video today for an endeavor you may see later, and I thought I’d post a tiny clip of my sweet (very close up) face to brighten your day.