Broken Umbrellas of Belfast: Part 4

***

Heard the singers playin', How we cheered for more.

The crowd had rushed together, tryin' to keep warm. 

Still the rain kept pourin', fallin' on my ears.

And I wonder, still I wonder who'll stop the rain.

~ Creedence Clear Water ~

***

So, folks, it's been a while eh? 

It's been.... 5 months or so since my last entry? How disgraceful!  

Well, for anyone interested, I have been busy these past few months. This summer saw me traveling to Belgium, Sweden, and then Canada for a visit home, and even a wee trip down to New York City! I have neglected to update curious minds on my escapades, and I apologize profusely. 

But, what better way to get back in the game then update my blog with a classic! 

I have spoken to many friends who have said they quite enjoyed viewing strangely abandoned broken umbrellas in Belfast. I'm quite shocked actually.

Don't you all think that it's a rather strange obsession? I walk around town on rainy days and take random photos of broken umbrellas while people walk by thinking "Why is she taking a picture of that litter can, and that dirty awful bin liner lying on the street corner??". 

Well, if you guys like it, then fine, I will gladly continue do take pictures, it's the least I can do! 

Well, I walked around Belfast the other week, on a VERY rainy day.

Usually it rains a bit here and there, but this day was a wet one. Non-stop rain all day. 

AND low and behold... what did I find?!?!? 

CHECK IT OUT!

My Birthday

It was my birthday! woot! First birthday in Ireland, and first birthday with my Irish boy. I must say, I could have asked for the weather to be a tiny bit brighter for my birthday, and perhaps minus a few rain clouds here and there... but all in all, I had a lovely day.

It first started with a wee surprise which came in basket form...

This lovely picnic basket will definitely come in handy in the future... but Ireland, you really need to work on this whole "weather" business. You can't just already rain and blow wind everyday... it gets a tad bit boring Mister! Or misses...

We then headed down to Holywood, Co.Down for a wee bit of a change in scenery. Now, it was Sunday, and it was raining, but that doesn't bring our spirits down! We took the train into town, and stopped at a  cafe called "The Bay Tree Cafe" (recommended to me by a friend).

Read more after the jump!

A Searcher's Cookbook: Caramel Squares

***

Condensed milk is wonderful. I don't see how they can get a cow to sit down on those little cans. 

- Fred Allen

***

Caramel Squares a.k.a Millionaire Squares. This sweet and caramel-y tray bake is a popular one here in Northern Ireland and across the UK. It's comprises of a shortbread base, caramel filling and chocolate topping! YUM! 

I was first introduced to this delicacy when my boyfriend insisted I try it whilst visiting a local bakery. I had never heard of a caramel square. In Canada we have butter tarts that have the same gooey/caramel like texture but nothing that really came in square form a.k.a tray bakes. That's another thing I learned here: tray bakes. Back home we simply call them squares or bars, but here, if you see a selection of squares and bars they are referred to as 'tray bakes' Essentially, a tray bake is exactly what it sounds like. It's a 'cake' that is baked in a tray, usually cooled as well and then cut into squares, which you'll notice in this recipe. I'd say the Canadian equivalent to a caramel square would be the nanaimo bar. They don't taste the same, but if there's one really popular tray bake in Canada it's the nanaimo bar (though you don't bake it....bah! you get what I mean right?).

Anywho, I decided today I would attempt baking up some caramel squares for the second time (the first time was 'okay' but I may have burnt the caramel, and thus steered clear of making them again). This time however, I learned my lesson and would like to share this delicious treat with all of you! Now keep in mind, this is only one version of making caramel squares. If you google recipes, you'll notice there are tons of variations. I mean tons. The one I'm sharing with you a simple recipe that uses few ingredients. It's just like what you find in cafes here! 

Now, it's a rainy day today, so it really set the "baking" atmosphere in my home. Perhaps you'd like to try this on a rainy day as well, perhaps play some Jason Collet in the background? That's what I did, and my squares turned out perfectly! 

Recipe after the jump!

Belfast Mural: Titanic Workers

***

"We just builds 'em, and shove 'em in" quotes one shipyard worker

***

Located in the Sandy Row area of Belfast, a new mural popped up last week commemorating the Titanic workers of Belfast. There's so much hype over the Titanic in Belfast, with everything basically Titanic branded from crisps to tea to whiskey to your next born child. It's nice to see something that truly represents what the Titanic meant for the city of Belfast. The people that helped build it. 

My boyfriend's classmates helped commission this mural with the help of the Belfast City Council for a class project. Well done I say!

me with a worker dog...so lifelike! 

Nice eh? 

- M. 

Broken Umbrellas of Belfast: Part 3 - May Day Edition

***

Why does it always rain on me?

***

It's May Day! woohooo!

Alright, so I don't really *know* what May Day is or why it exists, etc. All I know is that it seems to be another excuse for a holiday in the UK/Ireland. Coming from a country (ie. Canada) that does not have as many public holidays as the UK, it's hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that there is yet again another long weekend for schools, etc. If you work in the food service industry, (like myself at the moment) you definitely start to notice how often kids have "breaks" from their studies, and it certainly feels as though it is ALL THE TIME. 

Anywho, I digress. 

It's coming to the end of May Day today, and what a day for broken umbrellas!!! Today was also the Belfast Marathon which surely helped increase the ample amount of umbrellas scattered around the city. I should add that it was pouring this morning. Windy, and pouring. Cold as well...

As I walked to work today (upstream of the marathon walkers mind you), I witnessed many an umbrella on it's way to the umbrella graveyard. It was quite the site! Women struggled to use the wind to put their umbrellas back in shape, small children tried to protect their faces from splashes and others completely gave up and just held the poor things. I must admit, I sturggled with the wind and rain this morning. My umbrella was not in good form. I had to quit using it in fear that it would soon end up in a trash can. What is with these Belfast winds?!? Uncontrollable! 

So, today I saw many umbrellas, so much so that the following is not a collection of what I've found since the last blog post, it's actually just umbrellas from today! So that's quite a bit! I sent Patrick on a mission to hunt for broken umbrellas as well... but he forgot our camera at home, and apparently he saw many! Is it wrong that I'm actually kinda sad I don't have more images to share with you? 

So friends, here they are AFTER THE JUMP!

A Tale of Two Taytos: The Origins of Flavoured Crisps

----

[Disclaimer: I apologize for using the word crisp and chip interchangeably...but I am referring to the wonderful potato product that has been sliced thinly, deep fried, and packaged in bags...get it?] 

----

Chips or crisps, either way you slice it, it's still made of potatoes and enjoyed all over the world. It comes deep fried or baked, all sorts of shapes and sizes, in bags and tubes.

Now, the potato chip originated in New York or something...but that's not what I'm concerned about today. I'm more concerned with what actually makes crisps taste good: the seasonings! And where was the first flavoured crisp produce? Well, Ireland of course!

For years after the invention of the potato chip in the 1850s, chip lovers had to put up with plain chips. I know... such a sad life eh? No sweet chili, or dill pickle, no all-dressed? Taste-buds were so neglected!

But then, there was one man, an Irish man (obviously, cause they're experts in the field of potato eating), who thought "How can I make this crunchy, deep fried potatoe bigger and better than before?" [okay, maybe he didn't say that.. but lets just imagine.] Actually, I read that it was his dislike of the only flavour available - salt, which came in a packet inside the bag of crisps which you had to "sprinkle" on yourself. Think, shake 'n' bake, but more sprinkle and eat. Doesn't have the same ring to it does it? A change was needed! Someone needed to come along and save crisps addicts from around the world!

So who was this Irish lad? Joe 'Spud' Murphy! 

The story begins in Dublin. 

The year 1954. 

Flavour that started it all - Cheese and Onion. 

Mr. 'Spud' Murphy, an entrepreneur looking for gaps in the market, started a snackfood company, Tayto, in just two rented rooms off Moore Street, with initial set up costs of £500. His employees included himself, and 8 others, and the use of a single van. One of his employees, Seamus Burke, was in charge with creating a new flavour for Murphy's empire, and the flavour of choice: Cheese and Onion.

mmm cheese and onion.... probably the most popular and traditional flavoured crisp in Ireland and the UK.

Now, there's lots of back story involved in the start of Tayto Inc. But, it's interesting to know that Tayto crisps used to be sold for 4 pence per bag. Incredible! They even made tin boxes that contained 18 bags of crisps which sold for 4 shillings. Bags were hand-glued with a tiny paintbrush to guarantee Tayto's trademark freshness. Tayto quickly became Ireland's favourite crisp manufacturer, and is still considered a standard today.

BUT... there's a twist to this story folks...

Wait... did Tayto change their packaging or something? NOPE! What you're looking at is in fact, another Tayto crisps manufacturer, but owned by a separate entity!

You know how I said Tayto was created by Mr. Murphy? Well, in 1956, another man by the name of Thomas Hutchinson came along and decided to create a wee crisp empire of his own, but in Northern Ireland!

To make a long story short - in 1955, Mr. Hutchinson's bought a castle in Tandragee, County Armagh, Northern Ireland a.k.a still Ireland (but for the purposes of this explanation I'd like to make the separation from the Republic without calling it the UK... oh the trouble I could get into! shh). Anyway, he bought this castle and also bought the licence for use of the name and recipes from our friend Spud Murphy from the South! Until I actually started researching Tayto crisps, I had no idea that the Northern Irish version of Tayto was actually something 'bought' from the south. No where on the NI Tayto site does it mention buying the licence from Mr. Murphy, it's not until I did a bit of googling that I figured it out! Shocking.

Anyway, the Hutchinson's family made quite the empire for themselves with Tayto Castle, and you can even tour it! 




So, it's really hard for me to give a definitive title to who really made crisps into what they are today because there's also many British companies (like Walkers) to take into consideration. If I'm not mistaken, Walkers helped produce that whole "Salt 'n' Shake" business...

Anyway, there are tons and tons of crisp flavours out there, and I'd say that the Irish and the British sure take the cake when it comes to having quite the variety. Though I do love my Dill Pickle from back home in Canada... yum...

So that's that. There's more to the story of crisps and their flavours, etc... but I must say, both Taytos are relatively the same. I'm not even sure there's quite a difference... perhaps I'll just have to eat both crisps at the same time in the future...

One thing is for sure though, flavoured crisps first started in Ireland, and that's all that matters...

Now, all this talk of crisps has made me a bit peckish... excuse me...

Keep Crunchin'!


M.

How to Pose like a Celebrity Chef

Posing. 

We all do it, and we do it all the time. The minute someone takes a camera out, we take our stance and strike a pose! Some make awkward faces to hide their [not so good looking] teeth smile, some raise an eyebrow, pout their lips to give off a 'seductive' vibe, and some look away, because it makes them look cool. 

Guilty as Charged 

ANYWAY. 

I'm here to talk about a little something I noticed while walking through my favourite part of bookstores: The Cooking Section. I love the cooking section. Sometimes I sit down with cook books and take photos of the recipes so that way I don't have to buy it... how awful is that? But that's besides the point...the point that I'm trying to make is actually a wee observation I made. The Chef Pose. 

Now, not ALL chefs follow this recipe when posing (ha ha... get it?) on the front of their books. Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay seem to look right at you. They mean business. They know they are good, and they'll use their hypnotic eye language to tell you that. But others do this "I'm looking at how delicious my food looks" or "you're taking a picture while I'm cooking, no big deal, I'll just look this way and look like I don't care" poses.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share this observation. Is it fact? Are chefs prompted by photographers to "look away" for their cover shots. Does it work? Why does it work? 

You be the judge.

I suppose the conclusion of this post is basically: when posing for your future cook book, look away, smile, either look like you're cooking or pretend like you're eying the master piece you've just created. I'll make sure to keep this in mind.   

Keep Smilin'

M. 

Broken Umbrellas of Belfast: Part 2

***

I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain; what a wonderful feeling

I'm happy again. 

***

Hello there!

It's time once again for the "ever popular".... Broken Umbrellas of Belfast blog post! wohooo! I know you folks have been dying for another segment, so I've been collecting some photos since my last post! 

I thought I would have to wait a bit until I shared more lovely photos of the deceased and abandoned umbrellas of Belfast seeing as I haven't seen many for months! But you know what happened? It rained heavily last week, and to my utter amazement, there was a goldmine of broken umbrellas around the city! 

So here you go...

 ---

It's hard to see but it's there!

There you have it!!

I hope you enjoyed it. I know it's random... but isn't it impressive?!

Keep Smilin'!

Mon

Rainy Days, Sheep, and Jenga

Friends,

It's been a month since my last post. Please forgive me!
I do have some lovely photos to share with you though! That counts for all my lost time right?

To be completely honest with you, my Irish days haven't been that interesting for the past month. They have been filled with work, occasional baking, and helping my boyfriend with his homework. Yes, you heard me! Me, helping my architecture student boyfriend with his homework. I mainly provided moral support during some really late nights, but I also glued a few pieces of cardboard together. I was pretty integral in the process.

Anywho, when that was finished it was finally time to relax, and head up to Donegal to enjoy some fun in the sun... or rather, walks in the rain, or rather... fun with JENGA! I'll get to that in a moment...

Downings is a townland on the Rosguill peninsula (I copied that from wiki), which is located on the north-north west part of the County of Donegal. It used to be a fishing town, but now survives on tourism. The County of Donegal is kind of like Muskoka for the northern part of Ireland. It's filled with cottages, and families hungry for some time away from the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives. The coasts of Donegal are filled with breathtaking postcard views, and thus perfect for long walks with your loved ones and friends.

Before heading up to Donegal, I was told "Monica, it's a pity you weren't here last Easter, the weather was incredible, this year calls for rain..." Well, to be honest, rainy days in Ireland no longer surprise me. I know what to expect - rain with a chance of rain, and probably some more dull rain.
That being said, when the sun shines in Ireland, it is truly amazing.

Now, the first day of the trip was a bit gloomy, but that's not going to stop us! Though, when we arrived (my fella's family and I), we quickly came to the conclusion that going for "walks" was probably not in the forecast.

But, you know what was?!? A game of friendly JENGA! We found a box of Jenga in the cottage we were staying in, and it quickly became a hit with everyone. I'm not sure if any of you remember Jenga... but it's probably the best game to play when you're stuck indoors and don't want to play any real "competitive" games. It's light-hearted, fun and you can even play when you're drunk! Actually, I think drinking makes the game even more interesting!

And you know what else makes Jenga fun, watching everyone's techniques on how to tackle the Jenga tower. Some have shaking hands so they take their time, some have lots of confidence and make quick decisions (like me) or if you're like my fella, the best way to get a Jenga block out is my flicking it. And when I say flicking it, I mean like the magic trick where someone pulls a table cloth out from under plates and such. It's pretty incredible to watch, and it never failed him. The photo below shows his technique in action.... can you see the flying block?!?

So, back to talking about the beautiful sights of Donegal.

Well, let the pictures do the talking. The views are amazing, and while it did rain, when the sun did finally decide to show up, everything looked like a scene out of some romantic movie where the Irish boy proposes to his North American girlfriend... *sigh*.

dark rain clouds threatening us...

along the Atlantic drive...

me and sheep!

who doesn't love babies sheep?!?!? Look at those lambs! 

The above picture is of some sheep we stumbled upon while driving around the town. Aren't those lambs precious?!

I had a lovely time in Donegal, and I would totally recommend travellers to make their way that direction when visiting Ireland. But you know what? I'm pretty sure any coast you visit in Ireland will have impressive views, and lots of sheep. Take your pick! Just be sure to bring some Jenga along to spice up your rainy days! You won't regret it!!


Cheers for now,

Mon

The Day after St. Patrick's Day

So, how is everyone feeling today? Did everyone survive their St. Patrick's Day antics?

Well, I hope you all enjoyed your St. Paddy's Day, whether you're actually Irish or not. 

This year was the first time I celebrated St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, and it was the first time I was able to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday with him. Did I mention that my boyfriend was born on St. Patrick's Day AND his name is Patrick, AND he's actually Irish. Anyway, March 17 is a huge deal, in many ways. But to be completely honest, St. Patrick's Day seemed more like a "greener" version of a regular Irish Saturday night. Meaning, loads of people wearing more green than usual. 

Now, I was told that what I experienced was a bit scaled down from previous years, but it seems to me that the Irish don't take their holiday to as much of the extremes as the rest of the world. People were dressed in green, even wore little bunches of shamrocks on their jackets (like how we'd wear a poppy back home) but I didn't get the crazy wild feeling of what other countries make it out to be.... now I wasn't celebrating in Belfast or Dublin. I'm sure the major city's had crazy celebrations. But they have too...tourists are expecting leprechauns and green beer! 

Instead, I went out to the Down Royal for some horse racing! I have never gone to a horse race track, and from what I saw yesterday, horse racing is a very very popular sport here in the UK and Ireland. People love gambling on horses, and ladies love dressing up to watch. Now, I didn't go to a very fancy horse race, but there are some places that really dress to the nines. 

I placed wee bets here and there, but ended up breaking even the first time, and later only lost 6 pounds, so I didn't lose to much! Later we went out for some drinks, watched England play Ireland in a rugby match (which we quickly decided to forget ever happened), watched some traditional Irish music, and drank some more. It was lovely night, and I'm glad I finally experienced this famous day in Ireland, amongst the Irish. 

I hope you all had a lovely St. Patrick's Day as well, and that no one got into too much trouble! 

Keep Smilin Folks, 

M.