Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Reimagining Irish Food Ways For The Twenty-First Century, Mairtin Mac Con Iomaire, Lillis Laoire

Articles

Food and drink are fundamental to life, and apart from costume, they are among the most noticeable markers of cultural otherness within intercultural encounters.1 There is a current global interest in foods that are artisanal, local, traditional, seasonal and sustainable, and that tell a cultural story, as witnessed by the popularity of the Nordic Food Movement, or the 2021 Netflix series High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.2 In 2019, the Royal Irish Academy published A History of Ireland in 100 Words, which had a special chapter on ‘Food and Feasting’ highlighting the importance of bread, milk, …

Commensality And Connection: How Shared Food Experiences Connect Characters In Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials, The Book Of Dust And ‘Lyra’ Stories, Susan Anna Grace

Articles

Commensality is an inherently social activity that shapes society and enacts social dynamics. Consequently, these shared exchanges can reveal much about the society and the individuals who engage in the act. This thesis explores commensality in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, The Book of Dust Series and companion texts to the novels. The research investigates how commensal exchanges create and maintain connections between characters across the collection. In doing so, it considers how literary characters differ from real-life humans and how the existing body of knowledge on commensality can be applied to literary figures. A qualitative approach was …

Insight From Insiders: A Phenomenological Study For Exploring Food Tourism Policy In Ireland 2009-2019, Ketty Quigley, Margaret Connolly, Elaine Mahon, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This paper focuses on how the phenomenon of food tourism developed in Ireland between 2009 and 2019. Employing a phenomenological epistemology, a qualitative methodology was adopted to explore key stakeholder’s lived experience of the Irish government’s approach to food tourism, identifying the primary drivers and key moments during the ten-year period. Extant literature was reviewed and critically evaluated. Using purposive sampling, and employing an emic posture, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior governmental and tourism industry figures until saturation occurred. The findings highlight the influence that key policy makers, the formation of networks, clusters, and the role social entrepreneurs …

‘Ireland On A Plate’: Curating The 2011 State Banquet For Queen Elizabeth Ii, Elaine Mahon

Articles

State dining has been shown to define the social, cultural and political position of a nation’s leaders (Albala, 2011; Baughman, 1959; Strong, 2003) and has been used by rulers for centuries to display wealth, cement alliances and impress foreign visitors (Albala, 2007; De Vooght and Scholliers, 2011; Young, 2002). This paper will show how the state banquet for Queen Elizabeth II was carefully curated to represent Ireland’s diplomatic, cultural and culinary identity. As the first visit by a reigning British monarch since Ireland had gained independence from Britain in 1922, the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland in …

Material Culture: A Review Of The 2013 Oxford Symposium On Food And Cookery, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

The focus of this year’s Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery was on the stew stove not the stew; the knives not the meat; the salt pots or ‘nefs’ rather than the salt; the ‘chasen’ not the tea; the plates (whether pewter, ceramic, delftware, china, silver or gold) but not their food contents. We were gathered to discuss associated material culture of food and cookery rather than the perishable ephemeral substance that usually concerns this gathering now in its thirty-first year.

So, what did the 220 chefs, food historians, writers, scientists, anthropologists and general foodies learn from the weekend’s discussion …

'Tickling The Palate' Gastronomy In Irish Literature And Culture, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Eamon Maher

Articles

This volume of essays which originated in the inaugural Dublin Gastronomy Symposium held in the Technological University Dublin in June 2012, offers fascinating insights into the significant role played by gastronomy in Irish literature and culture.

The book opens with an exploration of food in literature, covering figures as varied as Maria Edgeworth, James Joyce, Charles Dickens, Enid Blyton, John McGahern, and Sebastian Barry. Other chapters examine culinary practices among the Dublin working classes in the 1950's, offering a stark contrast to the haute cuisine served in the iconic Jammet's Restaurant; new trends among Ireland's 'foodie' generation; and the economic …

Towards A Structured Approach To Reading Historic Cookbooks, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article discusses the methodology Barbara Ketchum Wheaton uses in her Reading historic Cookbook Seminars in Harvard and elsewhere and discusses from a participants perspective the strenghts of using this methodology to unlock hidden secrets of historic cookbooks.

Royal Pomp: Viceregal Celebrations And Hospitaity In Georgian Dublin, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Tara Kellaghan

Articles

During the successive reigns of the Hanoverian kings in England (1714-1830), a total of thirty-seven different viceroys were sent to Ireland as representatives of the British Crown (Table 1). The position of viceroy (also referred to as lord-lieutenant) was awarded as a matter of political exigency, but the viceroy’s role was one of social as much as political significance. The viceroy and his vicereine played the roles of the British monarchs in absentia, and the Protestant minority ruling class, often referred to as the Ascendancy, expected the viceregal court at Dublin Castle to not merely mirror, but to outshine that …

The Potato In Irish Cuisine And Culture, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Pádraic Óg Gallagher

Articles

This article will discuss the introduction of the potato from its South American origin into Irish cuisine and culture. The authors will outline the stages of devopment from introduction to acceptance as a winter vegetable, to widespread acceptance, moving on to overdependence and leading to subsequent famine. The article will discuss the varieties of potatoes used, the methods of production at different levels of society, and a number of quintessentially Irish potato dishes including boxty, champ, and colcannon, which will be compared with similar potato dishes in other cultures.

The Language Of Food: A Review Of The 2009 Oxford Symposium On Food And Cookery, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article reviews the 2009 Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, which was held in St. Catherine's College, Oxford. This year's theme was Food and Language and over forty papers were delivered to and audience of over two hundred leading food writers, historians, scientists, anthropologists, linguists, culinary students, and general food enthusiasts.

1911 Census Facility On Edwardian Restaurant Workers In Dublin, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article takes a look at the use of the on-line 1911 census facility in identifying Restaurant Workers in Edwardian Dublin.

Tom Aikens, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article reviews the London restaurant 'Tom Aikens' and discusses whether the artist must be present for the food to be fine! The lunch was produced by Dylan McGrath. Alan Ducasse was asked 'who cooks the food when you are not in the kitchen?' and replied, 'the same person who cooks it when I am in the kitchen!'

The History Of Seafood In Irish Cuisine And Culture, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

Fish is one of the most abundant wild foods available to a small island nation. Certain species of seafood have moved from being ‘poor man’s food’ to ‘luxury food’ over time. It may be said that the Irish do not behave as island people since we have little or no history of exploiting the sea compared to our European partners. Ireland was late developing its fishing industry and now suffers reduced EU fish quotas, the unfortunate but necessary result of decades of over-fishing on European waters. This paper investigates the historical role seafood has played in Irish cuisine and culture …

The History Of Seafood In Irish Cuisine And Culture, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

Fish is one of the most abundant wild foods available to a small island nation.