This is the second part of the topic. I find eating habits of Irish people very intriguing. Irish people are much more ritualistic about eating and follow a consistent pattern.
Just like people in most countries, the Irish eat three meals a day. The meals consist of a simple breakfast of cereal and/or toast glazed with butter and marmelade, a typical lunch of a sandwich (with ham, turkey, or chicken) or soup with brown bread, and a dinner with meat, vegetables, and potatoes. There is a traditional Irish breakfast, which consists of fried eggs, sausages, rashers (bacons), black pudding, fried half of a tomato and a cup of tea. People eat this less often because it is too heavy. Brian, my husband, would make it for me on a Saturday or Sunday morning and I regard it as a special treat.
Having tea is a very important part of their lifestyle. People finish up their meals with a small dessert (after dinner), a cup of tea and a few biscuits. People take tea breaks in mid-morning and mid-afternoon which consist of black tea and biscuits or cake. They also have tea and sweets for supper about three hours after their evening meal, at around 9 p.m. Few people have told me that having coffee instead of tea is a relatively new and a more fashionable alternative. Therefore, shops sell coffee for a few more cents than tea. I prefer to drink tea over coffee because it is better for one’s health and in Ireland, it is cheaper. Nothing beats a cup of tea and a small scone spread with butter.
What I find fascinating is that this pattern is followed by Irish people of all ages. Coming from California, I am not used to seeing so many elderly buying and eating so many biscuits and cakes filled with rich cream, sugar, and butter. But they are generally more slim than Americans because they walk more and lead an active lifestyle. There are dieters here too, but this often means having a bite instead of the whole of a biscuit. Here in Ireland, people of all ages enjoy sweet biscuits and hot tea whether it’s rain or shine. It was around 25 degrees Celsius yesterday and I was snacking at Boyers. It was very hot and stuffy inside the cafeteria, but yet, most people were enjoying hot tea with their lunch and dessert.
I admire the people for following a definite pattern, living an organized lifestyle and sticking with it because it is deeply engrained in their tradition. I, on the other hand, drink tea with biscuits if I feel like it. Sometimes, I get tired of sandwiches and have a bowl of Korean ramen noodles. If I get tired of that for lunch, then I dream about eating beef tacos with finely chopped onions, cilantro, and salsa picante.
