cia – Page 105 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Where to eat in Ireland: Teach Barnai (2004 Archives)

Teach Barnai, or Barney’s House, is a family-run restaurant with an impressive menu. It feels like somebody’s home, especially when you sit by the fireplace downstairs for a pint while waiting to be seated. We were seated in the more intimate space on the second floor, and it felt like we were having our own party in our own apartment.

I was assigned to pick a bottle of wine before dinner. As soon as I selected the Gigondas, the owner and manager, Michael Carr, told me that he was going to open it right away to let it sit and air out. I knew I was going to have a good night then.

When he heard that I hailed from New York City, he showed me a photo of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Apparently, they have a vacation home a few streets down and occasionally have dinner here when they are in town. I didn’t really care about anything New York City related when I was in Ireland, so instead, I inquired about the monkfish offered on the menu.

They wrap the beautiful fish with bacon, sear it, and then finish it up in the oven for about 10 minutes. I politely made a request to take my order out of the oven after only 5 minutes. Everyone in our table had a taste and loved my monkfish’s perfect tenderness that I was told the chef, who is also Mr. Carr’s wife, might just start cooking all their monkfish that way. I ended up having the best meal in the entire restaurant, with the Gigondas like icing on the cake.

Update, 2007: Teach Barnai is on the Main Street of Kilcar in County Donegal, Ireland. When I was there in 2004, I was told that Mr. Carr’s wife was really sick and they were looking to sell the place. I haven’t heard of any other updates since then.

Biking to Maghera Beach and to Sligo (2004 Archives)

At first I doubted that my body could do a second bike tour–cold and wet while fighting strong winds and pedaling downhill. When I saw the itineraryâ€”fifteen miles from Glencolumbkille to Maghera Beach, passing through Glengesh Passâ€”I was prepared to accept the helpful van rides along the bike route. But it was probably our guide Johnny Daly’s infectious laugh that brought the sun out the morning of our first meeting in Glencolumbkille. For the first time during my week-long trip to Ireland, I thought that the sun would stay out, and it actually did!

From Millstone B&B, I biked on concrete and dirt tracks, passed by flocks of sheep, and had an amazing view of open bog, dotted only by a handful of small houses and miles and miles of dry stone walls. At times, I stopped to take photographs or to stay out of the way of some of the most aggressive sheep I’ve ever encountered. (I still laugh every time I think about how they tried to scare me off track!) Only once did I have to walk my bike, and that was uphill near Maghera Beach.

We walked the rest of the way to the dunes and the caves of Maghera. The slabs of quartzite rocks were spectacularâ€”a testament to the power of erosionâ€”and the water was calm enough to let us walk on rippled sand.

Irish Cycling Safaris is unlike any other bike tour because you’re not forced to bike with a group. Much like Irish Cycle Tours, I was handed a map with directions to follow, and I was free to bike at my own pace. It was during this bike tour that I was able to experience quiet time, allowing myself to appreciate and take in Ireland the way I never expected after the first few days of mist and rain.

The Glencolumbkille Pilgrimage and the Slieve League (2004 Archives)

I’ve always been turned off by tour guides because from what I’ve experienced, they talk like broken records and they really just do it because it’s their job. Enter Sean Mullan of Walking and Talking in Ireland. He has been walking the walk and talking the talk for about five years, and it showed. Tours turn into experiences when you’re accompanied by someone who actually has a passion for the place you’re visiting. There are new lessons learned when your guide can answer every question you have without consulting any prepared speeches. Sean Mullan opened my eyes to this country I knew nothing about. An enlightening two-day tour, Walking and Talking in Ireland made me wish all tour companies operated Sean Mullan’s way.

We hiked Slieve League on the West Coast of Donegal, the highest sea cliffs in Europe known not only for its elevation but also its color: a range of brown to rust to orange and beautiful shades of green. Right from the beginning of our hike, we had an inspiring view of the cliffs, displaying miles of quartzites and slates that make up the mountain. We walked by unusual stacks of rocks known as the Giant’s Desk and Chair while the waves violently crashed against the cliffs thousands of feet below us.

From where we stood, we saw other groups continuing the hike along One Man’s Path to the summit. The Atlantic Ocean stretched miles beyond what our eyes could see. At times, I had to be careful when taking photographs because of the strong winds, but the hike was as exhilirating as anyone can imagine. Sean Mullan let us take in the viewâ€”a view I thought only the top of Waimea Canyon in Hawaii could provide. Thankfully, I was proven wrong.

We also traced the pilgrimage of one of Ireland’s three patron saints, Colm Cille, or St. Columba, believed to have driven away the demons of Donegal from the valley to the sea around 500 A.D. Gleann Cholm Cille, or Glencolumbkille, translates to the “valley of Colm Cille”, and every 9th of June, devotees stop at fifteen stations along the north side of the valley to touch the ancient inscribed stones and marked iron plaques for penance. We stopped by an old church and paid our respects at the small cemetery outside.

Among our other stops were the Folk Village Museum and the Napoleonic Tower. The Folk Village Museum exhibits rural Donegal lifestyle and was started by a local priest named Father James MacDyer in the 1950s. He provided jobs to the locals by encouraging them to set up craft cooperatives. It sells local wares and souvenirs and also houses the Tea House, where we took a break after walking along the beach. The Napoleonic Tower was built by the British to protect their country from an invasion by France through Ireland. The hike up to the tower took only under two hours, but we stayed a few extra minutes to rest and watch the sun go down. In true Irish fashion, we witnessed a dark cloud pour rain over the valley below us while we were simultaneously enjoying the soft glow of the afternoon sun on top.

Eggplant with Minced Pork Sauté

I was craving Chinese take-out for some reason–the bad, oily and saucy kind–and so my mouth watered when I read this recipe in the Sunday Times. I bought a large eggplant on my way home because our neighborhood supermarket doesn’t carry the small and thinner Asian kind. The large ones have darker and tougher purple skin, so I took more time simmering them here. As usual, I followed Harold McGee and salted the eggplant pieces after I sliced them. This draws out the moisture and collapses their spongy texture, so they don’t absorb all the oil when sauteing.

I realized I ran out of soy sauce when I was ready to make the sauce. I ended up using the kecap sambal in our pantry instead. It’s made of soy beans but also includes relish. I also used the last dollop of kochujang sauce I had in the fridge. Looks like I need to make a trip to Chinatown soon and restock my Asian pantry.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cut into smaller chunks
some ground pork
1 tbsp kecap sambal
1 1/2 tsps sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp kochujang sauce
2 stalks of scallions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
peanut oil
salt

1. Place the eggplant chunks in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and toss. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the kecap sambal, sugar, kochujang sauce and cornstarch until the cornstarch dissolves. Set aside.
3. In a large wok, heat some of the peanut oil over high heat. SautÃ© garlic until golden brown. Add scallions and cook until soft. Add the pork and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a plate.
4. Dab eggplant dry with paper towels. In the wok, heat some more oil over medium high until it just starts to smoke. Add the eggplant, and sautÃ© until lightly browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the sauce mixture. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Once the sauce thickens, add the pork back and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer until the sauce thickens and the eggplant is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt.

Biking from Ballycastle to Portballintrae (2004 Archives)

We spent our first night in Ballycastle. During dinner, Ian from Irish Cycle Tours stopped by to introduce himself. The next morning, after my first Irish “brekkie” of bacon, eggs, grilled tomatoes, and black and white pudding, we biked from Ballycastle to Portballintrae and made our first stop at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge off Ballintoy.

For my first bike tour ever, I was pretty surprised (and pleased) that all I had to do was rideâ€”I was free to follow the map that was given to me and pedal at my own pace. Everything was provided for, including a helmet and a small bag for our cameras and water bottles. The map mentioned a mile of uphill biking, but it failed to say that the next four miles had more than a dozen smaller hills! I was forced to walk my bike most of the time because I was not prepared for a full workout. My big Irish breakfast just went through me. The weather did not make it any easier; rain pelted my face, my raincoat was soaking wet against my back, and I was fighting 65-mile per hour winds. We were all pedaling downhill to make it to Carrick-a-Rede, which became the trip’s joke for the next seven days. I was disappointed with myself for not being strong enough to bike the entire way. I felt better, though, when I realized that no one in their right mind would push on with that weather, but I did!

From the parking lot, I had to walk about a mile downhill to catch a glimpse of the rope bridge, only to be stopped by one of the National Trust guards because of the strong winds. I saw how high and angry the surf was thousands of feet below, and it was probably best that they’d closed the gates. I walked back uphill to meet the rest of the group for tea instead. During tea, we all rested our butts off and read about Carrick-a-Rede. The rope bridge is eighty feet above the sea, and it provides access to the tiny island across the chasm for salmon fishermen. Carrick-a-Rede translates to “rock in the road,” the road being the sea migration route of the salmon. Across is Puffin Island, which supported a colony of puffin birds but has since been renamed Sheep Island because it was used to graze sheep after the birds moved on. We also saw from afar Rathlin Island, which is still inhabited by less than a hundred people whose ancestors have resided on Rathlin for hundreds of years.

The weather was not getting any better, so we all decided to give up our bikes and end our bike tour. We stored them in Ian’s van and instead drove by what is left of Dunseverick Castle, a castle from the 1500s said to have been visited by St. Patrick. We could have seen other small ruins on the island, but the call of a pint of Guinness was louder than any other tourist stop around us.