Clean Up Crew!
The Clean Up Crew!
All of us have rented cars in Ireland. Driving on the opposite side of the road is not a problem until you come to the round abouts. Also, especially in a larger city, all of us have to keep reminding each other not to step out into the road without looking to your right first instead of your left.
Each night we are cooking in our huge kitchen. Just picture 7 women laughing, talking, chopping, cooking and creating wonderful meals made straight from produce grown on surrounding farms. I felt like I was back again in my college sorority house at UGA. Cooking for 14 was so much fun but the best part was after dinner the clean up crew, pictured above, charged into the kitchen and cleaned up. Believe me, that kitchen was not a pretty place to be. There were lots of dirty dishes and lots of pots and pans. I did find out my husband, Steve, has perfected a new skill and I am happy to let him use it when we return to Atlanta!
Pubs
One of the women in our group, Julie, is a violinist who played many years for Andy Williams. She wanted to play in a Pub while we were in Ireland. The local people in the photo above have been playing together every Wednesday night for 25 years. Anyone who wants to join in and play with the group can. You just bring your instrument and pull up your chair. There is no music and everyone is improvising based on just 3 chord progressions. Our whole gang headed to the pub, on Wednesday to support Julie. As a classical violinist she needed to see what and how the locals were playing.
After about an hour Julie jumped right in and began playing. Because she is so-o-o-o beautiful, all the Pub guys couldn't keep their eyes off of her. No, she is not in the above photo.
What fun we had listening and meeting the locals. Not a tourist was in sight because this was a tiny town. No food, just booze is served in Pubs. Maybe I should suggests pretzels and peanuts next visit!
Swiss Cottage in Ireland
Swiss Cottage
This morning we visited a several hundred year old restored country Swiss cottage, owned by a "very rich" family. This ornamental chalet-like thatched building is located in the Kilcommon Demesne, a walled park of some 800 acres at the heart of the Butler of Cahir estate. The Heritage Council had done such a beautiful job with the restoration. ‘The Cottage’, as it was originally known, was built c.1810 to the design of John Nash, Royal Architect, for Richard Butler, Baron of Cahir (from 1816 1st Earl of Glengall). Its interior contains a graceful spiral staircase and some elegantly decorated rooms. The wallpaper in the Salon manufactured by the Dufour factory is one of the first commercially produced Parisian wallpapers. Situated on an elevated site with access by stone steps. Actually this cottage was used strickily for entertaining 6 to 8 guest and the "very rich" family that owned the cottage never slept there a single night. Servants were brought in when the family entertained and gardeners were kept on staff year round looking after the grounds. Hunting, fishing and lawn games filled this "special invitation" day.
For lunch, we ate at a cutery which is so Irish. Food is presented cafeteria style. You point to the items your want and the server plates your meal. This was our first experience with a plate of meat, potatoes, whole and mashed and carrots (Lots of potatoes and carrots) this is actually the food I thought I would be having for lunch and dinner, while in Ireland. Bland would be a good description of this hearty meal.
Steve and I look forward to tomorrow and new experiences. Everyone is so friendly and anxious to help us find our way.
When Can I Eat?
Recently in one of my blogs we talked about when to start eating if you are at the food court. With everyone hurrying back to their jobs and schedules, we decided that it was OK to start eating even though not everyone had returned to the table.
There is a major difference though in how you handle the ‘when do I start eating?’ in a restaurant or home setting. When the main course arrives at the table, everyone sits with hands in laps until all the plates are put down. Then everyone begins eating together.
Now, let’s suppose that, for whatever reason, one plate has to return to the kitchen. The individual who has no food should now instruct us to please start eating. How terribly uncomfortable it is for the ‘foodless’ person if everyone just sits and makes no attempt to eat. So, the rest of us eat just one bite, put our forks down, take one small piece of bread, rest our hands in our laps, take a sip of our drink and repeat the whole process of slowly eating so that we aren’t finished by the time the foodless person gets his food back.
As the rest of the world often refers to Americans as ‘woofers’ because we eat so quickly, dining slowly and thoughtfully for others is a good thing for everyone.
... and that Makes Momma Happy!
The American School of Protocol
...where training is our passion
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Rules are Rules…or are they?
Because I made a promise to my daughter that I would NOT preach in my blog, I thought I would share with you some slight bends of the rules that I use at my house. They are still well within ‘proper’ guidelines though they do not follow the rules to the letter. Here we go…
When I have people come to our home for dinner, if I am serving a salad at the same time as the main course, I only put a dinner fork on the left side, not a dinner and salad fork. I do this because the salad fork can so easily fall off the salad plate during dinner, or when you remove the plates to prepare for dessert. If I am serving the salad before the main course, then I will set the table with a salad fork, a dinner fork and two knives. That allows our guests to use a salad fork and a salad knife with that course. Then for the main course, the dinner fork and knife will be used.
In this instance, the one rule I do not bend is that I always use the appropriate utensils. Every fork set from left to right is married to a knife.
Do you ever bend the rules? Do tell!
...and we’ll see if that Makes Momma Happy!
The American School of Protocol
...where training is our passion
Posted via email from The American School of Protocol's Posts