People often ask me how the food is in Ireland. It’s really difficult to explain (so please stop asking! lol). That’s because it’s basically exactly like what you think of as British food. There aren’t really any foods that you’ll find only in Ireland. A friend visited from England a while back and I had no idea where to take her.
So, let’s move on to the classic dish of Ireland
So what if you go to kind of a nice place? What can you eat then?
As you’ve probably guessed, the Irish are known for using a lot of potatoes—just like Britain. The menu is pretty much the same no matter what Irish restaurant you go to, and pretty expensive if you want to eat something good. So we don’t eat things like this unless it’s a special occasion.
Dublin, on the other hand, has a more diverse population in terms of nationality than you might expect. You can get Asian cuisine from Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, India, or Mongolia. You can enjoy Turkish, Moroccan, African (kinda big place lol), and of course European food (from Italy, France, Spain, and along the Mediterranean coast). Naturally, there are Japanese restaurants too—though it’s difficult to find one you’d give full marks to, since they’re limited by the ingredients they can get. That’s the same in any country. We think something’s delicious, and the people that are actually from that country can only return a pained smile.
Ireland does have vegetarian restaurants and places where Muslims can easily find something to eat, which is rare in Japan. The ingredients they use are strictly consistent—with no pork or alcohol available, for example. I’m not religious or a vegetarian, but no matter which of these restaurants I try, they’re always really good. Definitely check one out if you have the chance!
The Japanese food you get here is pretty much the same menu no matter what restaurant you go to.
It’s all delicious, and a bit nostalgic. Sure to wrench your heart a bit
I live in Dublin, but in the Western Irish city of Cork, there is a single Japanese restaurant run by a man named Miyazaki. His food was so good that I seriously considered moving there…
It’s a bit hard to explain what this is, since only Japanese people are likely to know about it, but it’s sliced raw sea bream seasoned with kelp over rice (and, I just now noticed, topped with a bit of salmon roe).
Living here, you really get a sense of how different food cultures can be. Far away from the flavors I’m used to, I do my best to recreate them—but there’s really nothing that comes close to the delicious taste and healthy ingredients in Japanese food (maybe it’s just because I’m Japanese…). Our bodies are made up of the food we eat, so it affects our health as well as our mood. My attitude towards Japanese food has changed completely since I got here, and it’s become one reason I’m so proud to be Japanese.
Up next, we’ll look at the third life necessity in the series—shelter!
