Wallis Bird - an extraordinary Irish singer

"The sheer visceral energy could kick-start an entire economy…” - The Irish Times

 I decided to start this blog with a guote because this is just the most striking way of describing Wallis Bird I have ever read. And I am pretty sure however saw her on stage just once will agree.

Wallis Bird (31) is an remarkable singer and songwriter. She grew up in Wexford, Ireland but later moved to Berlin, Mannheim and currently is living in London. From childhood on she was really into music. Nothing could stop her from going her own way and creating amazing music. Neither that she once had all the fingers of her left hand cut off by a lawnmower (four could be sawn back on, only the pinky is missing today) nor that she, a born left-hander, is playing a right handers guitar upside down. All this are feautures to her unusual, extraordinary way of making music.

Until today she has released 3 Albums (Spoons, New Boots, Wallis Bird). In all three of them you can hear and feel the many different styles she is combining. In her songs you can find traces of traditional folk music, jazz and funk but also an energetic handmade rock sound. Her extraordinary voice makes her songs what they are.

Listen yourself:

 

Thanks to the fact that her Manager is a guy who grew up in my neighbour village and studied in Graz she is in town for concerts every now and than. I'll let you know the next time she is here.

Irish Easter

First of all, welcome back after the easter break.

I am sure we all enjoyed the days off and most of us have spent the holidays with their familys celebrating easter with many traditions.

In Austria there are a number of different traditions connected to easter. Some of them are the same but of course every family has a couple additional traditions just for themselves. In Ireland I am pretty sure it is the same. Curious about Irish easter traditions here is a short overview about what we have in comon and what is different in Austria and Ireland.

As we all know easter already starts 40 days before Easter Sunday. This period is called Lent. In the traditional way one should not eat meat during this time (many people try thesedays to go without something else they really like, for example chocolate). What I did not know is, that Irish people usually eat fish every friday in Lent in some kind of fish soup and they also do not eat eggs until Easter Sunday. In both countries eggs are a symbol for easter and the will get painted in different colours.

Of course the most important week in Lent is the last week also known as Holly week starting with Palm Sunday. On Friday, Good Friday, just like in Austria people try not to do any outside work and prepare themselves for Easter. Then comes Easter Saturday with the Easter Vigil in the evening. Which is the same in both countries again. Apparently we Austrians are the more unpatient folks and so we already have our easter Dinner on Saturday. It usually consists of homemade white bread, smoked meat, horseradish, vegetables, wine and off course eggs. All this food will previously be blessed by the priest. Irish people wait patiently until easter sunday for their special Easter meal. In Ireland this would usually includes potatoes, vegetables, meat, stuffing, bread and anything else that makes up a good proper Irish feast. All together the Irish Easter is not that different from the Austrian.

I hope you all had a Happy Easter. :-)

a jungle of food blogs

When I started looking for an interesting food blog I first thought, that this will be an easy task. Than I started searching for one on google and got 4,110,000,000 hits within not even half a minute!!!!

Thank's to a friend I found the taste-for-adventure blog. I emediatly was banned by the very yummie looking recipe for quinoa burgers with easy tzatziki sauce. Than I started browsing through the blog. On this blog you can find a lot of recipes for many different and international dishes. The recipes are accompanied by pictures that not only make you hungry, but are also colourfull and very self-explanatory. Unfortunately I have not had time to try one of the recipes but I am going to do so very soon. Of course I will let you all know about my experience with that.

Shepherd's Pie

As one of our main topics this semester food is going to be the thing our life revolves around. So this is my first post about it:

I first heard of and ate Shepherd's Pie in Great Britain. Now I found out that it is also very well known in Ireland. I do not know much about the history and the origin of this simple and delicious dish. Most certainly I do not know whether it was first cooked in Ireland or Great Britain.But what I do know about it, is that it came up at the very first beginning when the potato was introduced as an edible and cheap crop for the poor. Since than it spread and is now a very well known tradition in both countries.

From the very beginning this delicious disch was meant to be made from leftovers and that fact didn't change until today. Ofcourse you can prepare it with fresh ingredients, and I think many people do that. But for me it is really a great way of using upt leftover meat loaf, roast or mashed potatoes. That are basicly all the ingredients you need: Some kind of meat that is turned into some kind of sauce with vegetables, especially tomatoes, and mashed potatoes that come as a crust on top of it.

If some of you are now hungry for Shepherd's Pie, here is a very good recipe I can recommend.

New York City

Some people - actually quite a lot - think of "the big Apple" as the best city in the whole world. To me it is just another place I'm on war with. Last spring when I went to Honduras I had to change planes at JFK Airport. A six hour stay was scheduled and after some research my plan was fixed. 

Being stranded in the city that never sleeps between 8 pm and 2 am has to offer me something. I had found out, that with no form of transportation I will need more than an hour from the airport to the Empire-State-Building. I had already booked an online special VIP-ticket so it would not take me more than twenty minutes to reach the roof top. In total this whole exursion would not have last longer than three, maximum four hours what would have left two hours for all the other stuff. 

We landed half an hour earlier than scheduled and leaving the plane I was really enthusiastic about the next view hours. This enthusiasm only lasted until I saw the long, long, long cew at the customs service. Together with all the other passengers of our flight and of three different I had to wait for two hours until I could pass the customs service. Just to find out that against several affirmation from the check-in staff, the cabin crew and even the pilot my luggage was not beeing transfered automatically to my next plane. I had to take it, cary it threw customs services and find my next check-in counter to get rid of it again. At the check-in counter the next surprise was waiting for me: not only that it didn't open until 45 minutes before take off, no there were not any sitting possibilities too. All I wanted was have one great trip to the roof top of the Empire-State-Building and all I got was one really anoying and uncomfortable night on the floor of the JFK Airport.

I have to addmit, maybe I don't like NYC anymore because we got off on the wrong foot but I am sure I will not go back that quickly.

The Union Jack

Have you also been wondering why the british flag is called "Union Jack"? Or why it looks like it does? Here are the answers:

The Union Jack how we know it got it's looks in 1801 when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland was formed. All in all it practicaly unites three national flags. The red cross on white background of St. George which still is the flag of England and the white altire on blue background also known as St. Andrews cross that still is the flag of Scotland already formed the first union flag beginning from 1606. Later on in 1801 the the red saltire (x-shaped cross) on white background of St. Patricks flag that used to be the flag of the Island of Ireland joined the other two.

The name Union Jack first came up in 1674. Before that the word "Jack" was used to refere to the maritime bow flag. After 1627 this usually was a small version of the union flag. So while it officially was called "his Majesty's Jack" people started calling it simply "the Union Jack".

Movember

Since today my brother in law arrived at home looking like an '80ies film star I started researching on the phenomenon "Movember". This is the period of time formerly known as "November" during which men all over the world at least try to grow a moustache. They don't do it just for fun, but to raise money and awareness for prostata cancer and other serious men deseases. This man with the moustaches can be called Mo Bros and the women supporting them Mo Sistas. Some of them really celebrate the "Movember" really big. For example by throwing a Movember-Party by the end of "Movember" or crowning a Miss and a Mister Movember. All this had it's orrigin in 2003 in Australia and since that the idea of the "Movember" has conquered the world.
Happy moustache-growing! :-)