My usual Friday morning SuperValu grocery order is delivered around 11am by the familiar and jovial Ciarán. I’ve learned to expect a call from SuperValu beforehand around 8:15-8:30 to inform me of any unavailable items and ask if I want any substitutions. I think there’s only been one week when everything I ordered was in stock and delivered. This week only a few items are missing, nothing too important. I usually try to haul the plastic bags up the couple of flights of stairs in one go, moving slowly so nothing drops, and it leaves me winded. Nevertheless, it’s much more convenient than having to lug everything home from the shop myself, and stocking up on the basic items I consume every week in one go surely saves time and hassle. I’m also lucky that my apartment has a relatively good-sized refrigerator and freezer. Many folks here make do with something much smaller, not much larger than what you’d see in an American college student’s dorm room. Still, it’s been a big change from the lifestyle I had been used to in SF — a house with two full sized refrigerators and plenty of storage place to enable my stockpiling tendencies.
It’s warmer today with temperatures in the upper 40s- lower 50s, and the forecast calls for partly cloudy skies in the afternoon then rain later this evening. I decide to take advantage of these improved conditions to escape the apartment. Unfortunately, my friend CJ is unavailable for a walk, so I decide to run some errands instead. Holiday shopping is in full swing. Restaurants and cafes are busy with patrons. There are still facemask and social distancing requirements, but life at present in Dublin feels much closer to normal.
At the top of Grafton Street:
I veered a block left of Grafton Street, then turned to walk down Dawson Street which is home to some posh shops and eateries. The Luas (light rail) also runs down it.
The Hodges Figgis bookstore dating back to 1768 (now owned by the Waterstones bookstore chain), which I visited for the first time today… it offers an impressively large selection, almost at the scale of a Barnes & Nobles or the Tattered Cover in downtown Denver:
I was craving a panini and found this convenient Italian cafe with plenty of vacant outdoor seats (it’s a chain with a few locations around Dublin):
The Mansion House with a “live animal crib” (nativity scene?) set up in front on the left:
The House of Wool is a lovely shop with lots of Irish-made clothing products (I bought a green paddy cap for myself):
The end of Grafton Street with bustling shoppers:
I stop into the Dunnes at the St. Stephens Green shopping centre for a few more grocery items. It’s much bigger than the Dunnes location just a couple of blocks away from my apartment, and it’s been my go-to place for in-person shopping since it’s on my side of the Liffey. I’ve been on the lookout for pre-made eggnog, but I suspect it’s not something I’ll find in Ireland… guess I’ll have to make it from scratch myself if I want to have it this Christmas. I have a couple of recipes that sound easy enough, but I’m definitely going to take the extra step of tempering the eggs instead of just throwing them in raw.
By the way, eggs here (and throughout most of Europe) are not refrigerated in the store — they’re found sitting out on a shelf. This would probably shock most Americans. There are two reasons:
1) European egg-laying hens are immunised for salmonella, and therefore the eggs they product don’t need to be refrigerated to prevent bacterial contamination. I’m not sure why this isn’t done in the U.S.; I once heard someone say it was due to cost?
2) American eggs are subjected to an industrial washing that strips away the cuticle (i.e., outer protective layer) of the shell, which protects against contamination from outside sources. However, once this natural protective barrier is stripped away, it makes the egg more vulnerable to contamination because water, oxygen and bacteria can now seep inside. For this reason, it’s actually illegal for eggs to be washed in Europe.
After Dunnes, I stop into the nearby kitchen supply/gadget store I’ve been to before in search of a container for the homemade eggnog I’m planning on making. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find any glass pitchers. They had some smaller-sized bottles / carafes, but I ended up getting a larger 2 liter glass jar with a latched lid (the kind used for canning/preserving). That should be more than large enough, and when I’m done using it for eggnog, I can repurpose it for iced tea. I actually brought over a large Ball glass jar for said purpose, although its metal lid is getting rusty so the new glass jar will be an improvement.
Maps for reference:
I finish up my shopping as a sprinkling of rain starts up earlier than was forecasted and daylight starts to fade. I weave through the crowds of shoppers back to my apartment, glad that I got out for awhile but also happy to be done with errands for the day. I recharge with a light nap on the couch, move laundry from the washer to dryer, then re-mount the hooks for the makeshift battery-operated vanity lights in the bathroom (this time using some water-proof adhesive tape, as a couple of them have fallen off the wall after I’ve taken a shower). For dinner, I’m finally going to make a roasted butternut squash with brown butter sage recipe to accompany some ready-to-cook frozen fish fillets.
After dinner, I’m looking forward to watching the latest episode of The Mandalorian, which is the second-to-last one for the season. It’s really brought new life to the Star Wars franchise.
