I have been having too much fun.
Friday night was bookclub night. It featured strongly of delicious food, great company and Prosecco. I should say literature too, but that wouldn’t be true.
Yes, I managed to squeeze in a three mile run before that. Enough to offset the damage from all those Prosecco bubbles maybe, but maybe not the calorific magnificence of blueberry cheesecake and tiramisu. Sometimes I am more pig than hen.
And the fun rolled on…
Yesterday I rambled off into the Taste of Dublin in the city’s delightful Iveagh Gardens.
Twenty five euro(or 17.50 online) gains you entry into this beautiful tented village. Each tent features tasting menus from restaurants all over the city and the idea is that you can sample food from each in exchange for the village currency, florins.
One florin=one euro. Got it?
And there’s the florin bank where you can exchange your hard-won cash for these, well, vouchers. They’re non-refundable by the way, so you’ll have to spend them all in the village. Hmmmm, I am not a big fan of vouchers but at least there are ample opportunities to rid yourself of them…
…if you like queues…
…or Prosecco
Fortunately, I am more fond of the latter so I soon settled in with a glass or two and a little nibble of, well, I am not sure what…
As this was the last morsel of food it that particular stand, I reluctantly shared it with my pal. Fortunately I managed to resist the urge to eat the bamboo container and, critically, managed to keep the Prosecco all to myself.
It seemed that food was going to be a tad thin on the ground at Taste if we were to take the non-queuing, Prosecco drinking route. We were not alone, however, as lots of other people were laying around enjoying a few drinks and savouring the muggy June heat.
I had expected more of a Bloom type food hall experience. I had a wonderful time at last year’s Bloom festival wandering from stand to stand and getting a real sense of how much Irish food produce there is out there. Silver Hill duck, Rudd’s puddings, Sheridan’s cheese, Danuta chocolates, Clarke’s strawberries, Big Al’s burgers, all featured at Bloom but my experience was nothing like that at Taste. Just queues for the better known restaurants, and teeny tiny morsels of pretty stuff.
Apart from the queues, the whole thing was very well run. And the pretty, girly theme abounded.
Everything was kept pretty and clean by a super efficient team of college students who bustled about as waiters, guides, janitors and general helpers.
Indeed, most of it seemed to be well run, including, from what I could see of it, the business side of things. There were certainly a lot of sponsors represented in this year’s show. With ticket prices on the steep side and not guaranteeing a taste of anything much, someone, somewhere was happily totting up the cash.
We pooled the last of our florins and joined a queue for very decent cappuchino and very very dry cake…
…Before abandoning Taste altogether and running around the city for a proper, non pretty but filling dinner.
Sufficiently fuelled, I enjoyed great music on Grafton Street…
a four mile city ramble…
..and a long slow run this morning, as my penance for all that fun.
Juneathon Day 13: Three miles
Juneathon Day 14: Four miles(city strolling)
Juneathon Day 15: Seven mile long slow run.
Juneathon Total:52.14 miles
Too bad the event wasn’t all you’d hoped. But that dessert bar is making me hungry. And the busker’s picture needs sound. 😉
Oh wow, those buskers could busk. You want sound? Here ya go! Sorry, can’t help with dessert though!
Well heck, it won’t take me to the Youtube page. I wonder if the video is blocked to US viewing. That is so frustrating sometimes.
Oh gosh, sorry!
Yes I’m afraid those ‘food festivals’ in Ireland tend to be overpriced and overrated in my small experience and from what I’ve read. Still people are drawn to them. Nice pics though – I like the one of the Ha’penny Bridge, from O’Connell I think? Well done on keeping up the running streak.
Yes, Roy, one pic taken from O’Connell Street. Have to say, Bloom festival really delivers on the food end, from my experience of it last year, at least. And the whole food end of things in Ireland has really enjoyed a great resurgence in recent years with some fantastic food produce out there.
your book club must be related to mine…
Haha! It’s about all I can manage right now in terms of literary pretensions, so I’m not complaining!
The New Yorker had an interesting book review that delved into the whole subject of ‘reading.’ You might enjoy it:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2014/06/09/140609crbo_books_smallwood
Why, thank you for linking me to such an interesting site and article. I am completely with it’s Fear of Missing Out theory(FOMO), though, my case of bookitis has brought me to a new level:IKIMO-I know I’ve Missed Out.
I think that wins the award for best acronym ever: IKIMO.
I love the idea, shame it was a bit disappointing.x
It LOOKED beautiful – a real feast for the eyes. Thank God you managed to get the Prosecco for yourself! Great shots of Dublin too- it has been too long – I am due a visit (to inaugurate my new travel pass!)
Travel pass! Oh, congrats! Yes, Taste is definitely all about the look. Beautifully designed and laid out. Nowadays, it’s all about appearances, isn’t it?
That looks like such great fun, the photos are so inviting…Dublin is on my Bucket List.
Glad you enjoyed. I’m a big fan of Dublin city. There’s always something interesting on there, particularly if you’re into sport or cultural events. Hope you get there, you’ll enjoy. Oh, and we’ve some really nice gardens here too-I know you’d love that.
Have never been to Taste of Dublin but I think your experience seems to be what echoes with everyone else…. long queues for overpriced, small portions. 😦
Bloom was just so much better, Margaret.
Sounds like a sort of disappointing experience! Although the prosecco sounds nice! 🙂
You get to some very interesting and unusual places on your runs, RH – and I can see you’re a gal after my own heart as far as the Prosecco is concerned.
I didn’t actually run to the Taste, Jenny. Just enjoyed all that walking around the city, though.