French Immersion 101. First lesson: cuisine française!

Bounjour et merci d'avoir lu! The reason I start off this entry with French is because I'm beginning to feel like I'm ensconced more in la culture française than an Irish one. My flatmate, Dan's, friend from Boston College is studying in Paris for the semester and she visited this weekend. So Friday night, Rebecca, Kasey, JQ, and I decided to make savory and sweet crepes...it was delicious! They were making fun of me because I had my notebook and camera out documenting the whole experience, but I had to explain to them that I'm the world's worst cook. Yet, I'm pretty confident that I could recreate the dish which is a big step for me. For the savory crepes we sauteed onions, mushrooms, and asparagus and baked broccoli with melted cheese. For the sweet crepes, Rebecca taught me how to make this delicious sliced apple concoction sautéed in butter with lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon. We combined this with nutella and whipped cream...mmm..my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Who knew cooking could be such an enjoyment? (I never would've thought so before coming here).

 The next day, Saturday, we decided to take a day trip to Midleton to check out the Old Midleton Distillery (Jameson Whiskey Factory). Now, I knew absolutely nothing about the process of making whiskey before I went, but now I have a supreme appreciation for what goes into making a good reserve. A couple of interesting points:

1. The whiskey liquid has to sit in a cask for a minimum of 3 years to legally be labeled a "whiskey" in Ireland (no wonder the Irish are known for making the best whiskey).

2. Irish whiskey makers take casks from many countries in Europe that have held port and other spirits, and store their whiskey in them. Over time, the port inside the wood of the cask seeps into the whiskey, giving it a unique flavor. Legally in America, whiskey companies are only allowed to use pure, pine casks, which explains why brands like Jack Daniels don't even compare to Irish and Scottish whiskeys. Also, American companies usually only distill their whiskeys once (lame).

3. Scottish whiskeys tend to be more smokey in flavor because in their process of heating the barley, the Scottish allow smoke to seep into the barley seeds. The Irish make sure smoke doesn't come in contact with their barley, which explains Jameson's smooth and vanilla-y flavor. Also, Scottish whiskeys are distilled twice. I personally loved the Scottish whiskey I taste tested, though.

4. Whiskey is simply spawned from barley and water.

Sarah, Dan, JQ, and Kasey in a Midleton pub

These casks could hold 45,000 gallons of whiskey!

When the tour guide asked if there were any volunteers who would like to taste test, Kasey, JQ, and I shot our arms up in quite an uncouth fashion. (My question is, who would turn down free whiskey?!)

Heading into the Jameson bar for some whiskey taste testing.

The ultimate comparison: Scottish whiskey (distilled twice) vs. Jameson (triple distilled) vs. muted American Jack Daniels (distilled once)

Jameson obviously won as the most smooth!

My new favorite mixed drink: Cranberry + Jameson

Certified taste testers.

That night we returned from the distillery to be greeted with mouth-watering smells wafting from my apartment. My French flatmates and friends, Martin, Florine, and Toumtam, decided to have a dinner party and make a traditional French Swiss Alps meal for all of us. I'm not sure what the name of it was (Toumtam told me a in a really fast French accent) but it was basically pork, potatoes, cream, onions, and French Cheese melted in a casserole style dish. I can't explain how tasty it was...needless to say the ten of us greedily had seconds because it was so good. After dinner, we ate the cheesecake Dan and Sara had made the day before. I would have to say that for being in a country that is known for its terrible food, I've never eaten better!

After dinner, we headed to a really great pub in Cork called The Franciscan Wells Brewery to meet up with some of Dan's friends. Our French friends tagged along, and I ended up really getting to know them more on a personal level. Although I live with Toumtam and Florine, I haven't really interacted with them all that much compared with my American friends. Even though they both know English, they have really thick accents and I think this language barrier made it a bit more difficult for me to communicate and get closer to them. I believe that knowing they come from another country and have their own distinct cultural background made me wary to approach them opposite from any other American person. It was so nice to carry on lots of conversation with them and learn about their past experiences before coming here. Now I just feel silly for being shy in approaching them, because they are wonderfully nice and hilarious people. I've started editing Florine's papers and helping her perfect her English grammar, which has been nice (I miss editing papers!) Also, Toumtam invited me to visit him at his home in Toulouse for Spring Break! An offer I certainly can't turn down. I really love the environment here because I'm surrounded by so many people of different nationalities that I can interact with, yet I don't have the pressure of learning another language.

School is starting to pick up now, seeing as I only have the month of March left. Within the coming weeks I'll have to write three essays (gasp!), start studying for my Irish History final examination, and practice for my Irish Step Dancing practicum. The only drawback to this is that my social life is picking up simultaneously, which entails St. Patrick's Day and planned trips to Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, and Paris at the end of March. As time is passing me by faster and faster everyday, I just try to live in every moment and realize how wonderful of an opportunity this is. Walking back from the pub last night, Dan and I had a kind of existential discussion on the moments in our life that led us to this very point and subsequently, the people surrounding us that have become our family in a foreign place. It's pretty amazing to me that within a mere two months one can feel completely settled somewhere new (a couple years ago, this concept would've been incomprehensible to me). Aside from realizing that I have actually accomplished this, I think the biggest change I see in myself is gratitude for every situation I find myself in. Every minute interaction is truly a gift.