While my Mom was visiting, she introduced me to one of the joys of her youth - greased rats.
Mom went to a British boarding school, and treats were in short supply. Desert was usually something along the lines of runny banana custard, but on special occasions greased rats were on offer.
Greased rats are store-bought sweet buns (tee hee hee), with white icing, split down the middle, and buttered both sides. Perfect with a cup of tea.
I feel bad. I'm aware that recent posts are of a "been there done that" variety. And my Mom is visiting, which is lovely but unfortunately I don't have any time off work so my nights are jam-packed catching up with her, drinking wine, eating food, visiting pubs and family . . .
I'll try to get something interesting down next week. I have some food posts waiting to be written, and, while I haven't been doing anything exciting, I have been rather introspective, so possibly some insights into my soul will be on their way. You have been warned.
But for now its lovely hanging out with Mom - someone to make me cups of tea and gin & tonics. Although she has yet to change any money, so I've been paying for lunch and dinner - I'm sure its not supposed to be this way! Heading out now to catch up with some old family friends - so old I don't know them. Greg was best man at Mom and Dad's wedding - long before my time - so hopefully I will get to hear amusing stories of what my folks got up to in their younger days. But for now I will leave you with the lovely image that I had the other night: walking through the centre of Belfast, I come across a man peeing against a wall. He's wearing a very nice suit. And its 5 pm. I had to laugh.
As the world holds its breath for the US elections and I’m blown away by how many people are avidly following it in the news. All seem to be far too aware that the fate of the United States will influence the fate of our own. And while many US citizens appear to be undecided, non-stop television coverage of the events have helped overseas non-voters carve their opinions, discussing them over coffee and business meetings, with friends and with colleagues. It’s probable that many hold stronger opinions about the election today than about elections in their own country, and its hard to remind ourselves that, whatever America chooses, its their choice, and we have no say in it.
I hope that whoever this next president may be, he will bring change, and inspiration – the ability to lead strongly and pull America out of its current crisis. I hope that relations between countries will hold strong, and new bonds formed. I hope above all, that this president will help to bring peace to the world, and speak for those who have no voice to speak for themselves.
I'm still recovering from the Halloween party we had on Friday night.
Our flatmates love Halloween and have a huge party every year. The house was decorated: Black bags over the walls and ceiling in the lounge, "blood" (actually a combination of red hair dye and red food coloring) in the bath and smeared over the bathroom walls, even the sunflowers were decorated with masks (check out the photos).
The theme was Heroes and Villains and everyone dressed up in impressive costumes - John was a ninja, I was Sarah Palin (take your pick as to whether I was a hero or a villain!), we had Poison Ivy, Bat Girl, witches, knights, pirates, Medusa, Marilyn Manson and many more including a cigarette carton whose costume was so big he couldn't get it in the door.
The party kicked off about 9pm on Friday, and the music was finally turned off at 10:15 the next morning. Not that I stayed up all that time!
The house and its occupants are still recovering, but it was a great night.
On Sunday I climbed Slieve Beg in the Mournes.
We began with a pleasant meander up a stony track along side of Annalong Wood and then headed up the valley by Lower Cove and
We clambered up the Devil’s Coach Road
The hike took around 6 hours, and we only got a sprinkling of rain (a very rare occurrence for a hike
We ended the day with a cup of tea in Newcastle
Its my big (and only) sister's birthday today. At her request, and as a special birthday treat, I share with you the Pad Thai recipe from the Thai cooking class I went to last weekend.
For the sake of honesty, I have to admit that this is not a picture of Pad Thai that I have made myself. And in the picture I think I can see chunks of fried tofu, which are not in my recipe. Although you could always add the tofu, or stir-fried chicken or beef or port. Or prawns. Mmmmm, prawns.
Ingredients
Soak the rice noodles in cold water for at least two hours, drain and leave to dry.
In a bowl, combine the noodles, mung beans, carrots, spring onions, vinegar, salted radish, peanuts, fish sauce and ketchup if using.
Heat the oil in a wok until extremely hot. You want the oil to be smoking. Lower the heat slightly and break the eggs into the wok (careful, the oil might splatter). Using a spatula, scrape the egg off the bottom of the pan, breaking it into small pieces. Be careful not to let the egg stick to the bottom of the pan. The egg only takes about 10 seconds to cook, so you need to work quickly.
Throw the rest of the ingredients into the wok and bring the heat back up. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Cook, continually mixing, for 40 seconds to a minute: basically you want to warm the ingredients through and soften the carrot slightly. And you're done!
Serve immediately with a wedge of lime. Add some extra chopped peanuts and raw mung beans if desired.
Happy birthday Wombat!
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Translated by: Lucia Graves
Published: 2002 by Editorial Planeta
Published in Great Britain: 2004 by Weidenfeld Nicolson
Blurb: Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the "Cemetery of Forgotten Books", a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles. To this library a man brings his ten-year-old son, Daniel, one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book and from the dusty shelves pulls The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. But as Daniel grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind.
My two cents: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The right amount of mystery and romance, well written, a good fast-paced plot, interesting characters, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. All in all, a very compelling read.
I went to a Thai cooking workshop yesterday held at the Bo Tree restaurant.
The course focused on four dishes. Thai red curry with chicken; Pad Thai; chicken with garlic, coriander, pepper and garlic; egg fried rice.
While I often cook Thai red (or green) curry at home, it was nice to get some professional tips, and also nice to have some confirmation that I was doing things right.
Pad Thai is one of my favourite Thai dishes, and one I've never been able to cook with any success so I was very excited about that.
I've never made chicken with garlic, coriander, pepper and garlic so I was pleased to learn how to make that, and same with egg fried rice.
All in all it was a fun class, I learnt plenty, and I got to bring home 4 delicious dishes. I'm looking forward to putting my new-found knowledge to work, as are John and the flatmates.
I've indulged in some nostalgia and procured myself an album from my youth. I wasn’t particularly cool when I was young (Actually I was a big nerd. I know, shocking eh?) but luckily for me I had a very cool older sister who knew all the tunes that the older girls listened to. So while I would have been more than happy listening to Raffi sing his truly mindless drivel, instead I got Tiffany, Madonna and the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing because this was back in the 80’s.
But the album I loved more than any other, the one where the songs were so romantic in my little mind that had never felt any real-life romance and wouldn’t for another 7 years or so (I was a late bloomer romance-wise) was Richard Marx’s Repeat Offender. Oh my goodness, Angelia and Right Here Waiting were the pinnacle of romance. And in my defense, at least Right Here Waiting is less creepy than Sting’s I’ll Be Watching You. Anyway, in my 10 year old mind, those songs described the way love (wove, twue wove) would feel when I finally had the chance to experience it.
Angelia was so sad – he clearly loved that girl so much, but she was flighty and he lost her. I mean really, can’t you feel his pain in the lyrics:
“Maybe my love is in vain,
Maybe you're the hurting kind,
Can't take no more of this pain,
I've got to get you off my mind”?
I could, and it was pure emotional gold. And she left him with nothing but a photograph – how cruelly romantic!
I used to lip-synch these songs in the back of the car, no doubt making odd faces as my mind tried to capture the emotion. At least I spared my family the real singing which no doubt would have made their ears bleed. And at least it was only my family to witness this behavior and they kept it secret. Until now since I’ve decided to spill it all on the internet.
Anyways, the point of all this is that I have downloaded the album and now, on my walk home from work, I can lip-synch to my hearts content. I still know all the words. And it will look especially classy tonight as I walk home, possibly breaking into actual song
“I hear the laughter, I taste the tears,
But I can't get near you now
Oh, can't you SEEEE it ba-by
You've got me GOING' crazy . . .”,
covered in the brownie I managed to get all over my stomach at morning tea – classy!
Just finished (Canadian) thanksgiving dinner - the first one ever for my Irish flatmates and friends. Which means I am now full of turkey, potatoes, onion sauce, pumpkin pie and brownies. Not to mention the champagne and wine I've consumed. This year I feel like I have so much to be thankful for, particularly in this time of uncertainty and unrest. The top three things that make my life worth living:
1. The love of a good man - John and I have been together for over 5 1/2 years and each year is better than the last. Rarely I a day goes by where he doesn't make me dissolve in helpless laughter. He supports my every choice and knows what to say when I'm upset and my life wouldn't have nearly as much sunshine without him.
2. Friends - I give thanks for the truly fabulous friends I have. I have made some fabulous new friends in Belfast, and have amazing friends around the globe. And while I may not see some of them very often (certainly the case for my Canadian and Kiwi friends) they make my life so much more pleasurable. While living in Belfast has been a change, I've met more people with similar interests to me than I ever did while living in New Zealand. In fact, I am a true social butterfly these days. And above and beyond making wonderful friends in Belfast, I have had the chance to get to know my cousin Alex, and am delighted to be able to describe her as one of my closest friends. Having had no family near me while growing up I've never had this experience before, and I'm loving it.
3. Family - While I have always been very close to my parents, this year has brought my nephew Riley into the world and, in a way I can't explain, this has made me closer to my sister. While there are only two years deference between us, we were never very close growing up. She left home when I was about 16, and we have rarely lived in the same city since. The birth of Riley has brought us closer using video skype, and this new relationship brings me great happiness. While in the past she was often in my mind, these days no day goes past where she is not in my mind and in my heart.
I wish you all a happy Canadian Thanksgiving.
