What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all About???

I left my heart in an Irish Stew

When in Dublin, I began to question the authenticity of my alleged Irish heritage when my taste buds mounted a collective revolt against the taste of the vile liquid that is "Guiness Beer." However, my identity crisis was laid to rest today as I lunched on an Irish Beef Stew at O'Connor's pub in the tiny town of Doolin.

Our tour bus unloaded at O'Connors after 5 hours of sightseeing in a region known as 'The Burren' (for those geology/history dorks, see http://www.galway.net/galwayguide/visit/burren/ ). I stepped inside, wiped off my glasses, and bravely ordered the Beef Stew (despite being a habitual chicken/fish consumer). I wasn't sure what to expect when the lovely, old, reddish white-haired Debrah brought it over (an authentic Irish person! I'm home!). It brought a new meaning to the word stew - the beef was thick, not soupy, and formed a moat around a lone potato in the middle of the bowl. Carrots swimmed in the succulent beef...well, at least before taking a dive down my satiated throat and esophagus...

Good food, of course, tastes better with good company, which a 27 year-old Kiwi (from New Zealand) named Linley provided. We bonded over travel experiences, compared notes on where we wanted to go next, discussed the relative merits of ski jackets versus more fashionable wear, occupations (she's an OT - one of the 12 job paths i'm considering!); but, above all, we ate.

And it was GOOD! | posted by Cheryl, 10/24/2005 04:03:00 PM