Brown Bread & other exciting Irish eats

Ireland has so many wonderful time honored traditions that are amazing to experience, but I would not say that food is one of them. Don’t get me wrong, mutton stew and baked potatoes definitely have a place on the dinner table, but it’s never really anyone’s first choice if you’re looking for an exquisite meal. However, if your society is being subject to torture and violence under British Rule and you can barely afford to feed your family, soda bread and potatoes were the best you could hope for.  

Luckily, Ireland is now a sovereign nation and Dublin has become quite an international city. Being a vegan, traditional Irish food doesn’t really work well with my diet, so I’ve been enjoying the wide food array of a modern European city that is surprisingly very vegan friendly. At this point, I think the only traditional Irish food I have actually eaten was at the airport where I had a vegetarian rendition of an Irish breakfast that consisted of beans on toast and potatoes (simple but filling!). 

Living on a budget has meant that I cook most meals at home and pack a lunch whenever I can, but when I do go out I find myself buying premade sandwiches at a cafe or going to a Mexican place, which for some reason there are a ton of (though the spice level is underwhelming to say the least). In the office, there is a split between buying food out or bringing it from home, and meals vary widely, but one thing everyone seems to have in common is a love of sweets. People bring biscuits and scones into work and people go mad for them, whereas I would get much more excited over a savory snack like french fries or potato chips. 

 I don’t have any pictures of food I’ve eaten, but here are some Maryland cookies that are popular here 🙂 They’re chocolate chip!