At the end of last week, we arrived in An Cheathrú Rua in western County Galway and brought the heavy rain with us…oops! It has been a small adjustment to reacquaint myself with the sound of Connacht Irish after hearing the Ulster dialect in Gaoth Dobhair for two weeks, but classes are going well and my new host family is fabulous! There are more students in the house this time and we all sit around a very full and lively dinner table every night while conversing and eating delicious meals.
It occurred to me a few nights ago that I had just eaten warm soup, fresh bread, and pot roast on the last day of July. The day was a bit brisk, so I enjoyed it very much, but it is not something I would generally think to eat during the summer months. Having spent a time in Galway last year, I remember the weather being very similar to what we’re experiencing now with rain, periodic sunbursts, and mild (but somewhat chilly) temperatures. It is significantly cooler, especially with the wind, compared to the dry burning heat that I am accustomed to at this time of year. Lucky for the students in the program, this cooler weather also includes “comfort foods,” which appear to be our host family’s specialty. I have greatly appreciated this form of hospitality and the obvious thought and energy that is involved when preparing each meal. They have made it possible for us (the students staying in the home) to sit down, practice our Irish through mealtime conversation, and spend intentional time with others rather than simply grabbing food to go and eat between the events of the day, which I find myself doing all too often throughout the academic year. Our dinners are events themselves and they have been some of the most fruitful times of learning for me throughout my time here.
The other students and I have also learned that the best way to conclude any meal, especially dinner is with tea and a sweet of some sort! Here in Connemara, the tea is not brought out until the very end of the meal at the same time as dessert. Personally, I have enjoyed drinking absurd amounts of tea throughout the day for years now (heavily influenced by Mom), and will sometimes order tea to eat with my dinner when I go out to eat. However, the post-dinner drinking of tea appears to be quite a solid tradition and one that I do not plan to alter in any way! Whether it is simply a custom sequence of the meal or a practical means of aiding digestion, as a few have stated, it has quickly become my favorite daily ritual during my stays in both Gaoth Dobhair and An Cheathrú Rua.
