Un samedi soir sur la Terre

We had a birthday party on Saturday night. Several people's birthday in fact, all more or less crossing the 30 border. You think this would be a recipe for something warmish, a bit boring, a bit reasonable, where people would go to bed just after 2 o'clock. Well, no.

It had all the elements of the first "boom" (party) when we were 13. Here is a list:

- The boy who drinks too much, gets totally legless at 11 and has to be put in a taxi (teenage version: walked home or parents called). Age: 36

- The guy who wants to touch everything that has a bra / breasts / skirt was here, avoided by all the female audience was here. Age: around 42

- The boy who has drunk too much version 2. He is sick and throws up in the toilets. Age: 30

- The girl who is jealous over boy number 1 chatting with other girls and tries to put them away. Age: 31

- The boy and the girl who meet and cannot stop kissing during the evening until they go home to her place. Age: 28 and 27

- The girls between them who comment on the boys in the room and want to know what they are like and who is looking at who, and finally nothing happens. Age: between 29 and 35

- The group which stays until the dawn has come and finally decides to go home when there is nothing less to drink at 7. Age: between 28 and 30.

I won't mention the broken glasses, the stolen cigarettes and drinks, the mini drama over the music that was put on, the extremely serious conversations about the Irish Love (with capitals please, it is worth it!), the hostess having to put herself on mineral water for more than 3 hours (that was me). So, a party is a party after all, this one was particularly colourful.

That was fun. Thanks for people who came for coming!

Fuck recession!

Yeah! Fuck it! The Irish government has just announced the new budget for 2009. Gloomy gloomy. In short, VAT is going to increase, taxation on salaries (1% levy on wages up to €100,100, 2% afterwards), job seeking allowance is on the decrease, all social payments are cut, hospitals bills are going to be higher AND last but not least, some of the state agencies are going to close, and all of them are going to cut in the staff. Who works in a state agency huh? Yeah, that's meeee! I'll know more next week.

So, fuck it all. Don't be depressed, don't get scared at the crash that the stock exchange places around the world are experiencing, don't put tons of rice in your cupboards because you don't know if you will be able to eat anything else in the coming year, don't go to cheap labour places to buy cheap clothes, because, at the end, there is someone who made those clothes who would like to have your wage.

Instead, come and participate to my "Fuck recession!" party! We'll drink champagne, wear expensive clothes, talk about our (imaginary) sports cars, pretend we are traders in 1998 and finish the evening with some first class cocaine (not the street one of course, soooo vulgar).

Well, I am half joking. I am launching a "Fuck recession" party, just to lift spirits up. No cocaine please, but something much more expensive and dear: being with people I like, having fun, and remembering we are anyway the most privileged people amongst all.

7

C'est un truc rigolo que j'ai copie. Liste des 7 choses et applique a ma fabuleuse personne. Allez.


7 choses que vous voulez faire avant de mourir :

*aller dans l'eau sans paniquer
*aller vivre dans un pays en dehors d'Europe
*apprendre une autre langue etrangere
*finir ma psychanalyse
*vivre dans une communaute hippie ecolo
*enregistrer un disque (je serai jamais rock star mais je peux toujours faire le premier pas)
*convaincre mon mec d'aller vivre en dehors de son ile

7 choses que vous faites bien :

*la cuisine
*la langue de pute
*raler
*rencontrer des gens tout le temps
*picoler et sortir danser
*semblant de travailler au boulot (comme maintenant)
*bricoler (j'adore)

7 choses que vous ne pouvez/savez pas faire

*me mordre la joue pour eviter de dire ce que je pense
*faire un drame de toutes petites choses (aaah mais ou est le tourneviiiiiis?)
*positiver et etre satisfaite du travail salarie
*l'ATR (Appui Tendu Renverse, le poirier quoi, un cauchemar de college)
*plumer une poule / depoiler un lapin etc.
*etre patiente
*arreter de fumer

7 choses qui vous attirent chez le sexe qui vous attirent

*l'absence de passion pour le sport (en particulier le foot)
*le sens de l'humour (black please, romantico neuneus s'abstenir)
*l'humilite
*l'androgynie (aime bien les cotes feminins moi)
*la curiosite
*les yeux (blue, clairs en tout cas)
*la minceur

7 choses qui vous attirent chez le même sexe

*l'humour (idem, evitons celles qui prennent tout au premier degre)
*la gentillesse
*le picolage intensif (pas que ce soit un critere, mais picoler entre copines c'est bien rigolo)
*l'interet pour la chose militante ou politique
*la sincerite (ouais, franchise meme)
*l'aptitude a me rassurer quand ca va pas

7 choses que vous dites souvent

*putain sa mere
*holy fuck
*ah nan mais ca va pas du tout
*ouais, encore une remarque sexiste
*on va boire un verre?
*oh la la, j'ai la flemme
*I have to pipi

7 béguins pour des célébrités (la je suis un peu dans la merde)

*Kirsten Dunst (j'aimerais bien lui ressembler en fait)
*Tiken Jah Fakoly (plus du respect que du beguin mais bon)
*Batman ou Goldorak (quoi c'est pas des vraies personnes? On n'en sait rien hein!)

.... je cale

Bon je sais, c'est un post de feignasse. Mais ca vous fait de la lecture non?

About the good stuff and the bad stuff of going out with a mechanic

Yep, I think all trades have their drawbacks. I always wondered what it was like to go out with a cook for example: does he / she even let you go into the kitchen? Don't you feel ashamed about presenting him / her the macaroni with cheese when it is your turn to cook and that he /she did a Roasted Langoustine with apple purée, glazed pork belly, jabugo ham, warm apple jelly and purple Nasturtium the day before?

On a microscopic point of view, I can make a list of things that are nice and other things that are less when you go out with a wonderful person with a wonderful job, I name The Mechanic. Everything is in masculine here because you have guessed I am talking about my dear and near, and not because I think that jobs have a gender.

Handy:

- He changes a wheel on a car in less than 7 minutes

- He doesn't pretend to look into the engine when the car / campervan you brought for a music festival breaks down, he actually makes it work

- He is generally strong enough to put shelves / lift the sofa / get the washing machine by himself when you move out

Less handy:

- NEVER ask the mechanic to do a massage on you. He will think you are a car to dismantle and you will end up with a very sore back

- NEVER ask a mechanic to fix the zip on a dress that is a bit stuck. You will have to buy another one (dress or zip, depending how resistant they both are)

Typical:

- The mechanic thinks engines / oil / petrol, he IS engines, oil, petrol. He doesn't understand generally that you don't give a shit about an (yes, even) Aston Martin or a Facel Vega (yeah that's a real car)

- The mechanic smells what he calls perfume (see point above) The equivalent of Chanel number 5 for him is the sweet asphalte odour.

If you have other examples let me know. I am curious about how professions influence people in their daily life..

Sorry sorry sorry

Coucou! Sorry not to update this, August has just been crazy. Check it out:

- We have been away from Dublin every weekend to present Rothar! It has been very successful but we haven't had any time to rest at all. The Irish Green Gathering is a great festival, I recommend it to everyone

- We have been working with our group of young lads in Ballyfermot. Interesting and rewarding! Even when they sometimes fight and throw hammers around

- I have reduced my working hours and this should apply from next week. I am putting the bike project on hold for the time being, I am too tired

- We are moving house! As if the agendas were not complete enough, we have found a place just in the middle of town and we moved all our stuff yesterday and the day before this. My body aches a lot, but we have a cool balcony (a "terrasse" as Anne-Laure would say)

- My good friend Tony visited Ireland during the whole month and we have been doing quite a lot of those festivals with him, discovered new pubs in Dublin and it was all good. Thanks for the cooking Tony!

- We are going to the Electric Picnic this weekend, a rock and roll cool and (a bit) alternative festival in the countryside. Should be all good, but quiet. I really need this sleep.

- I need comments on my blog just to make sure I am not writing all this for nothing!

I hope you're all well. I will try to update this more often, September should be less crazy. Bisous

TCLIF

And it is Friday again! I am quite sure it is similar in a lot of your offices, but in here, Friday has a special taste. And a special je ne sais quoi that really pisses me off. What is it? This bloody expression! Thank God It's Friday (aka TGIF)

- "Why is it annoying you Anne? Don't you think you are doing your ranting Frenchie never happy about anything crisis right now?"

- "Well, maybe, but what is the fuckin' point of getting happy about a day when you will have to come back to the job you don't like in two days?"

- "Yes Anne, it is quite true, but it makes people happy isn't it the more important?"

- "But what is the point with bloody God? What does God have to do with that?"

- "I don't know, it is just an expression"

- "Yeah, but if God was deciding upon our working days, we would be working 6 days a week, wouldn't we?"

- "What's your point?"

- "My point is that people thank an imaginary friend that has nothing to do with the fact that they work 5 days a week!"

- "Who should we thank then?"

- "That is a stupid question! The people who fought for our rights, who died under repression, the unions, the Popular Front!"

- "Isn't it a bit archaic?"

- "Archaic? When the EU wants to fix the limit at 65 working hours a week?"

- "Let's come back to TGIF. Do you want people to stop saying it?"

- "I would just like them to think about their luck of having Friday as their last day of the week. I think we should replace the expression. Let's say TCLIF"

- "What does that stand for?"

- "Thanks Comrades and Leon it's Friday!"

Return of the living dead

Helloooo! I am sorry to have abandonned you for so long, times have been hard. But I am back! and in a good form.

I know that we are supposed to make resolutions at the beginning of the year, but fuck it, I decided to do so at the end of July. I pretty much decided to give up everything that is useless, that costs me more than it brings me, things that bother me to embrace a new life. Here is the list of what I decided to give up:

- smoking (already started, 3 weeks tobacco free)
- flatmate (10 years of living with people is enough, I think I need my own space now)
- job
- worrying
- people I don't really care about

All those things are draining me, and I therefore don't to do any of this anymore. This is what I am going to do then (give me a good year to achieve all this):

- starting educations in bike mechanic, rider's lessons and web design. They are all very straightforward and practical, fed up with theoretical stuff, I want action!
- repairing the bikes and selling them for Rothar
- look for a smaller flat that is not going to cost me more than the current one but which will have central heating and a real shower
- going on with my psychoanalysis as it seems it is working on me so well! Those decisions wouldn't have been taken without counselling

In brief, I put words on stuff I've known for a long time. It is very soothing not to hesitate anymore, and I have learnt patience and I know that good things comes when one knows how to wait. More news soon!

Carless

Il a pas l'air impressionne et c'est normal, je l'ai force a prendre la photo. Cet homme aux cheveux fous est Stephen, dit le Petit Prince (a cause des cheveux justement) et est ce qu'on appelle ici un "petrolhead", entendez un roi de la route.

Parce que le petit est ne dans une famille de mecanos, pere mecano, freres mecanos, oncle mecano, ca baigne dans l'essence tout ca! Trois voitures, deux motos, une courte carriere de pilote moto, n'en jetez plus! Sauf que les temps changent et le climat avec. Stephen a emmenage chez moi il y a un an et connait depuis une pure vie de centre-ville: cinemas, restos a quelques metres, ca change la vision de la ville! Mais il y a un phenomene quand on vit au centre-ville a Dublin: la predominance des voitures. Jour et nuit, ils sont des milliers a prendre leur bagnole et a polluer, obstruer, klaxonner et envahir le peu d'espace de cette ville assez petite et pas du tout concue pour ces milliers de vehicules.

Alors le petit s'y est mis. Il est fervent defenseur du velo en ville et lit meme des bouquins consacres au sujet, cad comment se debarrasser des voitures. Il est juste pas encore tres habitue a etre photographie avec des livres subversifs.

Plus de nouvelles et des choses plus interessantes bientot. Je ne suis pas tres en forme en ce moment, je vous donnerai des nouvelles plus joyeuses dans pas longtemps. Bisous!

Ca chie!

Libe a fait le resume en francais! http://www.liberation.fr/actualite/monde/331420.FR.php

As you know, or maybe you don't, Ireland is the only country in Europe which will hold a referendum for the ratification of the Lisbon treaty. It will be held on June 12th, and the campaign started. The arguments are very low levelled to my mind. The big parties (Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour) are threatening the voters with the possible stigma that a no vote would bring to Ireland. This is the only thing that sticks out of the Yes Side (YS). The No Side (NS) is more imaginative, check it out:

The first one is advising a wonderful convincing stuff: doing like other people. I have to mention that France has a kind of revolutionary image in here, much appreciated by lefty people who are desperate about the passivity of their fellow citizens.

On the second one, the YS is saying "in our interest". When you read the leaflets, the treaty is very poorly explained, not sure what kind of clear idea the voters can get from this. Sinn Fein (the poster below) is obviously against it, as they say it will threaten workers' rights and more so they argue that Ireland is such a small country that it would lose its weight in the negotiations. You can have a look here. The young lady is Gerry Adam's new icon, Mary Lou McDonald. She is extremely popular and gives a new face to this party which is struggling with the past and the relationship it had with the IRA.


Here is a version in the Irish language of the campaign for the Yes organised by the Fianna Fail, the largest political party in Ireland, still in power. The funny thing about this Irish version is that it is grammatically incorrect, as answering yes (Ta) to a question doesn't exist in this language. I wonder what the ballot will look like. The poster says "Better for Ireland, better for Europe, vote yes". I don't speak Irish, I asked :)

Then there is a very strong opposition to the Lisbon Treaty in here because a lot of people think it would end the corporate tax rate (tax applied to companies) which is 12.5% and which enabled Ireland to attract so many foreign investments. That is this fear that the poster below exploits:

Here is a "classical" argument against the liberal European Union, represented by the Socialist Party (tiny tiny party)

Another fundamental point when it comes to the opposition to this Treaty is the military aspect. Ireland is a neutral country and has a tiny army (having said that, it has been the basis for an American military base in Shannon for the past thirty years, planes landing here go afterwards directly to Iraq). The treaty plans to have a common defence system and because the text is so vague and does not mention the practicalities of this, a lot of opposition parties are afraid that this will mean Ireland will have to spend much more on military and abandon its neutrality.

And finally there is this one I don't really get. Are they talking about sovereignty, taxation, nation? It is a very risque shortcut to my mind. But this is a very very common one:


I have a very mixed feeling about the whole thing myself. Living in a country that developed mostly thanks to Europe and being able to work and live here the way I do make me feel extremely European, and I voted yes to the Constitution. There is however something extremely nasty about the whole thing: France for example was to my mind so afraid that its people would vote against it that the treaty is ratified by the Parliament. The text itself is absolutely unreadable to anyone who doesn't have a master in European Law. I am not sure this will convince voters that Europe is transparent and democratic. Also, I have to say that if Ireland votes no (and I think it will, surveys are very bad for the yes, and the people not extremely interested about it will not go to vote) we can hope the European leaders will think again about the way they consider their citizens., i.e. as people who can decide for themselves.

Cork city

We went to Cork this weekend. I had gone to Cork four years ago with my ex and a couple of friends, and that was a painful experience. Probably because my relationship at this time was already disastrous, probably also because we had taken the wrong route with the car and that it had taken hours to reach the city, probably also we didn't know where to look and we ended up playing some silly game in the hotel room. In other words, I remembered Cork as a boring, not that interesting nor lively city, with nothing to do and no great opportunity to have fun. I must confess that I had this very capital city despising attitude about it and I refused to go back there for a while.

But then, because of Rothar!, the project Stephen and I are putting in place, we had to go back. We met with two extremely motivated guys who have the same kind of project down there. Instructive and encouraging.

And then, Cork. Well, I must say that I was impressed this time. It is tidy, pretty, lively, and there is a je ne sais quoi of latin atmosphere coming from the small cafes, the tiny wine bars, the colourful houses and (that is the least you can say) the colourful accent. In other words, whoever wants to go there with me is welcome! I wouldn't live in Cork, it is too small for the city girl that I became, but it is definitely worth days of discovery, walking, drinking and tasting their local stout, the Murphy's.

Carless

Il a pas l'air impressionne et c'est normal, je l'ai force a prendre la photo. Cet homme aux cheveux fous est Stephen, dit le Petit Prince (a cause des cheveux justement) et est ce qu'on appelle ici un "petrolhead", entendez un roi de la route.

Parce que le petit est ne dans une famille de mecanos, pere mecano, freres mecanos, oncle mecano, ca baigne dans l'essence tout ca! Trois voitures, deux motos, une courte carriere de pilote moto, n'en jetez plus! Sauf que les temps changent et le climat avec. Stephen a emmenage chez moi il y a un an et connait depuis une pure vie de centre-ville: cinemas, restos a quelques metres, ca change la vision de la ville! Mais il y a un phenomene quand on vit au centre-ville a Dublin: la predominance des voitures. Jour et nuit, ils sont des milliers a prendre leur bagnole et a polluer, obstruer, klaxonner et envahir le peu d'espace de cette ville assez petite et pas du tout concue pour ces milliers de vehicules.

Alors le petit s'y est mis. Il est fervent defenseur du velo en ville et lit meme des bouquins consacres au sujet, cad comment se debarrasser des voitures. Il est juste pas encore tres habitue a etre photographie avec des livres subversifs.

Plus de nouvelles et des choses plus interessantes bientot. Je ne suis pas tres en forme en ce moment, je vous donnerai des nouvelles plus joyeuses dans pas longtemps. Bisous!

Publicite gratuite pour moi-meme

Hi everyone, just a little bit of free ad for myself. Stephen and I are setting-uo a charity. The aime is to recycle bicycles and sell a part and donate a part to other charities. The ultimate goal is to develop local employment, self empowerement of certain communities, with a feminist insight (I think women should cycle more, it is good for the head, the self confidence and the ass!) and hopefully a lot of fun. I put on line a blog yesterday until we have a website (i.e. when our name is registered, with a legal status etc.)

This is the place you can find the small explanation of the project: http://rotharbikesforthecommunity.blogspot.com/. If you have suggestions, remarks etc please let me know. I keep my fingers crossed as this is going to take time!

Street art

J'adore! Tres present dans deux villes que je venere, Lisbonne et Bruxelles, l'art de rue decore les murs les plus insolites et donne un dynamisme et est quelquefois fait par des gens tres talentueux. Il peut se decliner en bande dessinee, comme ici a Bruxelles:



En version funky, toujours a Bruxelles. L'afro semble revenir a la mode ces temps-ci:

On peut trouver pas mal de pochoirs a la Bansky dans toutes les rues de Lisbonne. Celui-ci est directement inspire du chimpanze de ce dernier a mon avis:


Des personnages venus de nulle part qui ajoute un habitant a la ville (toujours Lisbonne), comme ce peintre et ce tagueur tague :)



La c'est plus difficile.. Pourquoi des titis? Mais c'est tres joli:


Un admirateur de Bebel Gilberto lui rend hommage dans la traversee des anglais a Lisbonne:

Et la vous l'aurez devine, nous sommes de retour a Bruxelles!

Et la aussi.. La funky attitude a de beaux jours devant elle


Et enfin un Haiku en forme de tableau toujours a Bruxelles, pouvez-vous lire ce qu'il y a ecrit?



"Trees don't meet, people do!". Allez savoir...

Vroooom without licence

Yep! I am a biker.. Well, not quite yet. I know how to drive this bike (the picture, it is the bike I use), but I am not quite well assured yet. "Get your licence" you will tell me. Well, I have it! This is an originality of this country. I am legally authorised to drive this motorbike without having received any practical training before (I just have a "provisional licence" which I got by passing a theory test). So I have to chance that people are tolerant enough, that I am not making too many mistakes, and that I will not get killed before I know how to drive properly. Anyway the nice weather has arrived, it should be more feasible soon to get onto the roads after the kids have left school. Wish me good luck!

Commuter in Dublin

This is a video taken from my bike (camera on handle bars) on my way to work. As you can see there is no cycle track and buses are big. I am lucky enough to be able to avoid rush hour thanks to my flexible working hours. So this was taken at around 9.15 on a sunny day. Hope you enjoy it. Bisous!

La franchouillarde reflechit

Alors m'enfin vous vous demandez pourquoi je vous emmerde a entrer une adresse email pour lire mes posts.. Bah en fait je me suis recue pas mal de commentaires haineux / pas gentils / machistes / menacants, et ca m'a pas fait plaisir. Alors je suis en train de repenser mon blog, en mettant l'option "commentaires" seulement disponibles aux gens proches mais je sais pas encore trop comment faire. Donc en attendant je ne le rends dispo qu'aux personnes qui me lisent regulierement. Ce blog est juste un moyen de garder contact avec ma famille et mes amis, pas pour lancer un debat sur le net parce que:

- lancer un debat, je m'en fous

- je n'ai pas cette pretention. Des journalistes et autres personnes qualifiees sont payes pour ca

Alors pendant que je cogite, je ferme aux "externes". Le blog devrait etre reouvert a tous d'ici a un petit mois. En attendant, une petit blague: quel est le pluriel de "petit beurre"? Reponse dans les commentaires.

Slim / fat, the image and the dictatorship of weight

A lot of you know how I look. I am slim. Very slim say some. There is a strange phenomenon when you are slim: you are harassed about it.

No, I am serious. I am getting sick of hearing things such as "oh but YOU shouldn't complain about anything, look how slim you are", "of course you don't know what it is like to feel uncomfortable, you're so slim". It even happens at work. Once, I was heating my lunch in the microwave and a lady manager was heating a soup. I told her while we were chatting about lunches (what was I thinking?) that I needed more than a soup to keep me going for the whole afternoon. She looked at me from top to toe and said "well, yes, you don't have to starve yourself, you're just lucky to be slim". Another person, a man this time, told me once I was so slim I could sit on the toaster without any problem.

So I have a question: who is this world, would dare saying to an overweight person the equivalent that would be "you are so big you would need two chairs to be able to sit properly"? It is almost like, because you are supposed to comply to a certain social image and fantasy (being thin) that it is acceptable to comment on the way you look.

Well, it is not. It is offending to be described, looked at with despising or envious eyes (plus the comment that generally goes with it), told things about your physical appearance, something that is totally private. Nobody knows but you how you feel about yourself. it can be hurtful, slim or not.

And there are always criticisms about the way you look anyway. A lot of my exes told me I was too slim. Some of my friends told me that they prefer looking the way they look because at least "they have breasts and a sizable ass". Well, good for you. I didn't know there was a competition there. I feel good with myself too, thanks very much.

It is sad to see how much the image, competition (especially between girls) and the dictatorship of beauty puts pressure on everyone, and there especially for women. You're too slim? you're anorexic! You're too fat? How can you let yourself go this way? And also, shave your legs, put make-up on, have a slim waist, be tanned, eat healthy... HEEEEELP! Just leave me alone!

And the next one who says anything intrusive about the way I look has to be warned that I have just started kick-boxing lessons....

Les dublinois pris en otage, la ville est a sec / Booze held hostage. Dubliners dry out.

Une atmosphere bizarre regne a Dublin aujourd'hui. Il semble que la ville est assiegee: les bars sont vides / A strange atmosphere has invaded Dublin today. It seems the city is besieged. Bars are empty:

Ils sont meme totalement fermes. They are even totally shut down:

Cependant, quand on y regarde de plus pres, on s'apercoit que l'alcool est emprisone dans les supermarches / If you look closer, you realise that booze is held prisoner in supermarkets

Et en y regardant encore plus pres, on lit la raison de cette soudaine abstinence / if you look even closer, you can read the reason for this sudden abstinence:

Et oui! Aujourd'hui est vendredi saint, nous bons chretiens ne sommes censes ni manger de viande ni boire d'alcool. TOUS les alcools sont interdits a la vente, pas moyen d'obtenir un verre de rouge avec un steak dans un resto, c'est la loi / Yep, today is Good Friday, and good Christians as ourselves are not supposed to eat meat or drink alcohol. It is forbidden to sell ANY kind of booze, no way you can get a glass of red with your steak. It is the law

Mais la resistance s'organise /But resistance is getting in shape

Ce soir, mes amis,mon amoureux et moi nous reunissons pour un hachis parmentier avec vin et punch / Tonight my friends, my love and myself are getting together around a shepherd's pie, some wine and some punch.

Donc, a la votre! So, slainte!

Irish food

Today is Saint Patrick's day. Happily drinking (heavily) in town, people wear the national colours in every way. Shorts made of the national flag, painted shamrocks on the cheeks, and having a bit of craic (Irish expression you can translate by having fun with everything, especially nonsensical conversations in pubs during hours).

So because today is supposed to celebrate everything that is Irish, let's talk about another feature that defines a country: its cuisine. I was inspired by this article of the Guardian (here) and was a bit at loss myself when the question asked is "what do Irish people eat traditionally?". While I am writing this, my (Irish) flatmate is frying carrots and bacon and is putting this on pasta and cheese. Surely there is something more Irish than this improbable combination of ingredients.

If you go to Temple Bar (the most touristic place in Dublin) you will find "traditional Irish restaurants" where you can eat seafood chowder, oysters with a Guinness and everything with soda bread (a kind of very light and friable bread made with chemical yeast) and butter. There are as well black pudding and the element imported from the enemy country (i.e. England), bacon. Soup is a very traditional Irish meal, you can still eat it at every meal in every eatery, sandwich place or even chic and pretentious places. Potatoes (spuds) are to be included with everything. And this food is good, tasty and unpretentious.

But this is not what Irish people eat in their everyday life. First reason: a lot of them do not know how to cook and have no idea how vegetables grow. Second reason: this country is so Americanised that the traditional meal in here is composed of a hamburger or BLT sandwich (or crisp sandwich: take two slices of white bread, put a ton of mayo in it, half a packet of crisps, crush the whole and eat with delight). Chips can be served with everything too, including lasagna. Third reason: the immigration factor. Ireland has welcomed so many different nationalities for the past 15 years that it seems natural to everyone to go out and have some Indian / French / Italian / Polish food instead of the traditional Irish stew. So it is pretty much a happy combination of everything that defines the way Irish people eat now. They integrated other cultures, other ingredients and thanks to the wealth created since the 1990s they can afford other things than cabbage.

It is a bit of a pity though, because I discovered myself a whole side of the Irish food that I had no idea about until very recently. Products that are still made in small farms, using raw milk for the cheese, breeding lamb in the fields etc. A lot of the food you can buy on markets and coming from the country are absolutely fabulously tasty and nice. Surely a bit of work on how to get back to the land and a lot of cooking lessons would make people even more aware of the beautiful stuff they have at hand and bring a lot of national pride.

Lesbian murderers

C'est le nom que nous donnent les gens qui font partie des lobbies "pro-life" (des especes de tares extremistes qui pour montrer leur attachement a la vie exhibent des photos de foetus morts... allez comprendre...) lors de nos manifestations pour demander la legalisation de l'avortement. Et ca prouve leur progressisme et leur haute tolerance de considerer que le terme "lesbienne" est une insulte. Mais c'est aussi une phrase (avec "bitches", "frustrees" et je ne mets que les polis parce que je sais que ma mere lit ce blog et qu'elle executerait ces gens sur le champ si elle les entendait traiter leur fille comme ca..) qu'on entend sur le feminisme en general. Alors c'est une mauvaise action que j'ai deja faite, mais ma copine Anne-Laure a ecrit un truc super la-dessus pas plus tard qu'hier, et je vous invite donc a lire ce constat ici. Pendant que vous y etes, allez voir dans sa rubrique Irish Stew, vous y trouverez des posts tres droles sur l'Irlande et les irlandais.