Photo by Line Klein for Cereal Magazine
So, we are in Ireland right now.
My handsome Peyton has been given a gorgeous opportunity to teach Travel Writing overseas.
It’s been a great trip. I’ve learned more about Peyton and fallen in love with him more at every turn; every bumpy bus ride, every wrong turn down an Irish country road, every good and bad experience with (surprising?) cuisine. We have had some great meals here. The Indian food is fantastic. Last night we ordered Vegetable Korma at a place called Spice of India that we wanted to drink with a straw. We even had some delicious Chinese food in Wexford, Ireland. As far as Irish products go, the yogurt is better here (I swear the cows are happier, that’s why) and the eggs are brighter in color, richer in flavor (happier chickens).
But… but. There’s always a “but” to eating food in a foreign country, away from the comfort zone of home.
Our “but” has something to do with the lack of heat in food, or rather, the lack of pepper in general. Peyton and I noticed, over a rather watery plate of carrots and potatoes at the Famine Museum (a bit ironic to eat there right?), that the pepper in the pepper shaker is in fact not pepper at all. It’s a powdery, greyish colored seasoning salt with no spice, no bite, no distinguishable flecks of black. I made the mistake of dumping it all over my food before I tasted it, only to realize it tasted more like meat tenderizer than pepper. Yikes! I’ve tried to ask other travelers what exactly the substance is, but nobody seems to know. The Internet can’t even tell me! I’m just glad I can commiserate with those of you who love tons of black pepper on food and were disappointed with the lack thereof on tables in Ireland or elsewhere.
Another pepper flavor missing on our Louisiana palates is that of the cayenne. Everywhere the Irish billboards and menus allude to “Cajun burgers” or “Cajun chicken” or “Cajun sauce” …we’re not sure what they mean. While we understand it is a food trend here, we have tasted this “Cajun” food, and while it certainly packs a punchy-pleasing, sweet flavor, it’s not at all spicy, or Cajun. The food has a reddish tint to it, usually, but Pey and I think it’s due to paprika or something else rather mild. Oh well. In America, I’m sure there are plenty of “Traditional” Irish foods botched at bars and pubs. Not to mention the mislabeling and tampering-with of other culture’s cuisines.
Pepper or no pepper, we’re happy to get a taste of this magical island! (And I’ll certainly miss drinking half pints in little cozy nooks at the pub!)
From one tourist to another,
R
Coffee & Lemon 
