THE IRISH SUMMER AND ALL THE FOODS

A lot has happened in the last couple of months. I moved. Summer is officially here. The Irish version, at least. And I've gotten to do some pretty cool things, even though my search for a job has been increasingly difficult and frustrating. However, the mostly nice weather does make my lack of work entirely more tolerable.

I moved out of the busy city center, to Rathmines, which is about a 30 minute walk from where I was previously living. I live in a nice area now, though our apartment is in the "basement," which is really more like a deeper ground floor that is horribly damp and a bit moldy/mildewy. We purchased some plants, and two of them have mold all along the soil, and nothing ever dries. You can hang up a towel that you used after taking a shower and 2 days later it will still be damp. I have never encountered this problem anywhere I have lived before, and it's a bit off-putting.

Before the concert. During Hozier's set. I really wish I would have gotten an after picture. We were destroyed, muddy, and soaking wet. It would have been hilarious to compare.

I got to go see the Foo Fighters and Hozier at Slane Castle. The weather was absolutely miserable though. It was pissing rain the entire day, and my trusty North Face rain jacket proved to be not so waterproof after all. I mean it kept me dry for about 3 hours, but when it rains all day and night, 3 hours is not enough! My friend Hugh took me to the show as he ended up having an extra ticket. However, I can't say that I truly saw the Foo Fighters as we didn't end up seeing their whole set. There may have been a bit too much drinking, a bit too much mud, and a bit too much rain involved. 

Brunch poutine chips @ Taco Taco were divine though probably not very traditional poutine. Pesto Mediterranean pasta @ the Metro. Ham, leek, and cheese sandwich served with a grain, veggie, and pomegranate salad @ Considered.

I, of course, have been eating at lots of great restaurants, though I really shouldn't be. I am way too poor to be eating out and eating as unhealthy as I have been. Oh well. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and a fatty meal just hits the spot so right. It's weird how satisfying it is to eat both an incredibly unhealthy meal and an incredibly healthy meal depending on one's mood.

Pitt Bros. So good.

My friend and I went to this BBQ restaurant called Pitt Bros. It was superb. Dare I say on par with Kansas City BBQ, and that's saying a lot. It was delicious, the atmosphere was super fun and fresh, they had tasty homebrews, and you could grab as much self-serve ice cream as your heart desires at the end of your meal. We ended up getting a platter to share. It came with ribs, pulled pork, & sausage as the main courses, and we chose bone marrow mac & cheese and fries on the side. The mac and cheese was the only thing that wasn't fantastic. All the BBQ sauces they had were delicious as well. We have been talking about going back ever since.

All pictures taken on the same day, the same walk, the same few hours, up to the mountain and back down.

I walked around some of the Wicklow mountains, which were beautiful. Striking views of the city and on the other side more mountains. I also took the Luas (tram) to nearly the end, which is on the outskirts of Dublin. There were some farms, and I got to kick it with a really nice, but really sick looking horse. He was sad! He came up to us, and just wanted some loving.

Poor lonely horsey.

A couple weekends ago, I took a swim at the Forty Foot in Dun Laoghaire. The Forty Foot is a spot when the tide is in, where the water is 40 feet deep (hence the name) and with a little "cliff" to jump off of. And I when I say swim, I mean that I jumped into the ungodly breathtakingly cold water, and immediately swam as fast as I could to get out! Twice. Ha. I checked the temperature later, and it turned out to be 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which does not sound nearly as bad as it feels. Trust me. 

These are 99s from Teddy's Ice Cream in Dun Laoghaire, a famous ice cream shop. I didn't get a photo of the Forty Foot, so this is me looking in the direction of the Forty Foot. The Forty Foot is on the other side of the building with the reddish roof.

I really miss summer. Like real summer. Like sweat your balls off, you can't move, the air is so thick, kind of summer. Therefore, I am dedicated to acclimatizing myself to the sea here. If I can't have my real summer with float trips, pool parties, and other water-related activities, then I must learn to love swimming in frigid Atlantic water. That being said, I am going surfing this weekend in Donegal, which I am super stoked about! I hope that this surfing expedition fares better than my last. Considering there will be proper lessons, I am confident there is no way I could suck as bad as before. In the meantime, I must go off to look for this incredibly elusive thing called a job.  

Kimchi & burnt end fries @ Bread and Bones. Salad and chili I made, which was delish.

POTATO, SAUSAGE, & VEGGIE HASH + THINGS THAT KEEP ME SANE WITH THE SEEMING IMPOSSIBILITY OF FINDING WORK IN DUBLIN

It's been awhile since I have written anything on here. I have been stressed and a bit down. So I'm going to bitch a little bit. I apologize. It has been so incredibly hard for me to find work here. It doesn't matter what sector either. I have applied to restaurant/hospitality jobs, admin/secretarial work, and of course design jobs. I have even contacted recruitment companies. Ireland does not have a good system when it comes to interviewing for restaurant jobs. It's really actually total bullshit. A potential employer is allowed to legally not compensate you and have you do a trial for up to four hours. I have done quite a few of these trials, with not even a simple call to say, "hey, sorry you didn't get the job." 

Tortilla pizza, and kitties! Two of my favorite things.

I have now been in Ireland for nearly 4 months, and out of those 4 months, I have worked (for pay) a total of just under 1 and half months. DO YOU KNOW HOW AWFUL THAT IS? My savings are massively suffering.

Okay, enough bitching. Time to be positive. I have not and will not give up hope! I also have had some interviews the last couple of weeks, as well as an upcoming interview tomorrow. *crosses fingers* I also did have the opportunity to do some freelance work for an event agency company last week, which ended up being really cool. 

There are a few things that have been keeping me sane in my transient phase. Unfortunately, they have gotten to be a bit on the unhealthier side. Drinking, cigarettes, and eating pretty terribly (not all the time, thankfully). I am in the process of getting myself back on track.

Did I mention I like to cook? Stuffed ground beef, veggie, rice, and lentil peppers, served with asparagus, and a spinach, white bean, pear, yogurt salad.

Staying positive, eating healthy, and working out can do wonders on one's emotional and physical well-being. I can and will be healthy and happy and fulfilled!

So, I love to cook. Cooking also makes me happy. Being happy is good. So here is potato, sausage, and veggie hash that I whipped up the other day for breakfast.

Potato, Sausage, & Veggie Hash

(Ingredients were actually approximately halved from photos below, because I realized it would have been way too much for two people)

Ingredients (all measurements are of course approximations, because I don't follow recipes or measure anything)

6 small-medium red potatoes
1/2 head of small broccoli head
2 green onions
1 small onion
5 cloves of garlic (I didn't have any)
10-15 cherry tomatoes
2 mixed color bell peppers
6 small sausages (more would have been tastier)
3 large kale leaves (no need to trim)
large handful dill
large handful cilantro
2 eggs

Seasonings (to taste, no idea how much I put in)
1 tbsp olive oil
Turmeric
Chilli powder
Fresh ground black pepper
Sea Salt
Mixed herbs
Cumin

For garnish
Shredded Cheddar
Chopped avocado

Now, basically just look at the pictures and it's pretty self explanatory. It's really simple to make.

Step 1

Chop up potatoes in bite size pieces. Next slice onions into thin strips. Add oil, potatoes, and onions to a large frying pan. Cook until potatoes are nearly soft. Cook sausages in another pan simultaneously. 

Step 2

While the potatoes & onions and sausages are cooking, cut up all the ingredients into bite sized pieces ("bite sized" is based on your personal preference). Once the sausages are done, cut those up into small pieces as well.

Step 3

Once the potatoes are mostly soft, add the rest of the vegetables, but save the herbs, green onions, and tomatoes until the next step. Cook until the veggies are tender, but still have a bit of a crisp.

Step 5

Once everything is nearly cooked, start frying your eggs. Make sure you keep the egg yolks intact. Runny egg yolk is super yummy! Add the herbs, green onions, sausage bits, and tomatoes and stir it all together. 

Step 6

Portion out food onto two plates, add garnishes, and then NOM your face off. 

Man, the 4th of July is going to be so strange to celebrate here in Dublin. I mean it's 'MURICAS birthday, and I have no 'MURICANS to kick back a cold one with while eating loads of bbq and lighting things on fire. Oh well, I can and WILL celebrate and do these things, even if it is by myself. :)

I hope all this food distracted you a bit from my complaining. I really am blessed to be here in Ireland, this is really a special opportunity, and I am thankful for the opportunities I have had, even if they aren't exactly what I want or need at the moment. Now, on to enjoy the Irish "summer!"