Irish Eyes are Smilin'....

I'm entering a contest to win a trip to Ireland to study Irish Cuisine. And yes, it's more than potatoes and cabbage. But I liked my essay, so here it is.

Raised in an atypical household where my father was the master of the kitchen and my mom rewired all the telephones, I learned the pleasure of gardening organically, the thrill of spending Sundays making homemade tomato sauce and meatballs, and that girls can do anything. As I got older, I found cooking as a creative outlet to the “actor turned fundraiser” and began opening my kitchen to friends and family to enjoy my edible performances. I began reading cookbooks as my friends read novels. The more I learned about cooking, the more concerned I became with what happened to my ingredients before they hit my kitchen. I was of a generation raised on supermarkets that couldn’t support my culinary curiosity. Finding farmers markets was the answer and food I had disliked as a child, was discovered again, full of taste and subtleties that propelled me finding more.

I college, I delved into Celtic tradition through religion, mythology, and history but it wasn’t until recently that my Irish boyfriend has encouraged my to break free from the “tomato sauce that runs in my veins” and explore Irish cuisine. After my first “Irish” dinner (including colcannan, lamb with onions and carrots) I realized I had a lot to learn. As with anything I’ve tried, I knew reading about it could only get me so far. It’s the doing that creates memory, not only in your mind, but also in your arms and hands and fingers. As I approach 30 I find that I’m too old to quit my job and travel the world with a backpack and a dream, and too young to have the money to pay for it. The opportunity to spend time without the distractions of work, laundry and daily life would be a dream come true.

Food becomes a part of everything; we celebrate, mourn, laugh and learn over food. We need it to survive and spend a huge part of our lives consuming it. Knowing and caring how it was produced makes it more than fuel, but creates an experience. Creating a community with a common bond, a story to share and a memory that will continue for years.