The Lounge 102

Ernest Hemingway -  Larger than life, Brash, Flamboyant, Womaniser, Bull runner. Drinker, Author, War Correspondent, Boor.  Following the success of his 1920s novels Hemingway profiled himself as the big game hunting, marlin landing he-man that he yearned to be.  Eight years after his last novel and on the receiving end of some less than complimentary reviews for his non fiction attempts, Hemingway appears a little irrelevant.  The Spanish Civil war changed that.  Hemingway loved Spain and its culture.  He saw the Nationalist coup as an assault on the country and its culture which he revered.  He also related easily to the young American volunteers.  He himself had been a Red Cross volunteer in WW1. The Civil War allowed him to relive his youth safe from the combat of the front lines.  In Madrid he appeared in a faux khaki uniform.  In Adam Hochschilds "Spain in our Hearts"  Lincoln Brigade Physician William Pike, who met Hemingway in Spain, is quoted as sa

I picked up some of this wine recently.  Cahors is an Appelation d'origine controlee (AOC)  in the south west of France.  It lies about 160km east of Bordeaux.  Under the AOC rules the wines are permitted to be a blend of native grapes, Malbec (min 70%) with Tannat and Merlot making up the balance.  The results are big beefy muscular black wines and this is no different, coming in at 14%. The wines are often aged in oak to soften the tannin and give the wines a rounder taste.  The good news continues with the three grape varieties being rich in healthy polyphenols.  On the nose this is a riot of red fruits.  Typical Malbec blackcurrants are dominant here while the Merlot lends it's full juicy character to the wine.  In the background the more austere Tannat brings structure and tannin to the party.  The oak aging has softened the wine and the result is a deep satisfying wine with a hearty warming presence and a long elegant finish.  You can drink this now or lay it d

For those not in the know, like me, this is the book on which Ridley Scott set his 1982 cult classic movie, Blade Runner .  The book is set in the post apocalyptic future of 1992.  The world is destroyed, covered in a toxic dust and Mars is a colony and emigration destination.  Most animal life has been wiped out and owning a live animal is the ultimate social status.  The production of androids is the tech industry of its day and fortunes are to be made by supplying the emigrants with the latest models.  Supplied with intelligence but not empathy androids repeatedly escape the colonies and servitude to mingle with the humans back on earth.   It is bounty hunter  Rick Deckard's  job to "retire" or kill the escapees. Rick is unsure of his place in the world and is angst ridden over his lowly status.  On the roof of his building he keeps an electric sheep as a substitute to owning a real one.  Stressed by his insecurities and his dirty secret about his animal Rick l

This is going to be a bit of a rant, and it's been coming for a while. Where have our traditional foods gone?  We have become food snobs, no longer eating the foods associated with leaner times.  We now seek out anything but Irish.  Even where the dishes do not exist in their associated country they're more acceptable, more available than Irish food.  Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken Masala, Sweet & Sour, none of these exists "at home" but its better than eating Bacon & Cabbage.  Because we're richer now and more sophisticated and traditional foods are backward, yet we'll gladly eat what we consider to be traditional foods from other countries. Not one Irish restaurant, to my knowledge, serves dishes like Skirts & Kidney, Ham Hocks, Eye Bones etc you may find these in a pub but not in a restaurant.  "Kiddies Meals" invariably consist of chicken nuggets or sausages that a vegan could eat given the lack of meat content.  Why have a kiddi

Around 1979 a friend loaned me a cassette tape of Rory Gallagher Irish Tour '74.   I nearly wore it out, he had to come looking for it back.  I was blown away by the sounds I heard.  It was my first taste of electric rock blues.  From Cradle Rock to Who's That Comin to Walk on Hot Coals to Too Much Alcohol I was hooked.  The music was fresh and grown up and the total opposite to the Punk era that was prevalent at the time.  Robert Johnson may have sold his sole to the devil but Rory Gallagher did his own deal in Ballyshannon. In 1980 Rory Gallagher played what was then the Parkway Motel in Limerick.  Rory Gallagher. Live. In Limerick. And I was there.  I remember seeing him in the bar before the gig, just an ordinary guy mingling with the crowd. I have vague memories of the hall but no recollection of the gig other than I was in awe. I had to walk the 3 miles home but I hardly noticed. Saving whatever meagre pocket money I could scrounge I bought his Live in Eu

All good things come to an end, and so it was that we continued north to Brittany for a last night before the ferry back to Ireland.  Our last stand in France was to be in Carnac , signs for which I had passed many times but never visited.  En route to Carnac we stopped in Vannes to stretch the legs and have a nosey.  We arrived after 2pm and many cafes were closed or closing, someone from Bayonne must have rang ahead.  We had missing the national lunch time.  We found a creperie  open and filled the gap.  Of all the foods that France is renown for the crepe must be the most pointless and overrated, still beggars can't be choosers.  A post lunch stroll took us down to the little port area, plenty of people sitting in the September sun enjoying themselves.  The only shops open were the tourist shops selling the same tat.  How many bowls with peoples first names on them do French shops sell in a year?  The central pedestrianised area of Vannes is very picturesque and quaint

With the impending winter darkness and shorter days approaching comfort food is always welcome to soothe the soul.  Nothing better than a warming stew or casserole to keep the spirits up.    I like to make this stew of chicken and chorizo for those very days.  Because I'm with  Jose Andres  when it comes to cooking, "Recipes are overrated" just follow the guidelines but don't be constrained. Perfect for weekends, or bung it in the slow cooker before you go to work, and hey presto dinner is ready when you get in. You will need Your choice of music, on as loud as you can stand A glass or two of some decent wine Chicken, Celery, Onion & Chorizo Chicken thighs or legs, but definitely on the bone A chorizo sausage  Half a head of celery Fresh garlic to taste, at least one clove Large onion Tin of chickpeas (any beans of your choice) 2 tins of chopped tomatoes Paprika (I use the mild one) Salt and pepper to taste A fairly large oven proof dis

Leaving Bayonne was like saying goodbye to a seldom seen friend after an awkward situation.  Glad to be going but regretting what happened. Today's trip would take me north through Les Landes , a flat and pretty featureless area, around the city of Bordeaux and on towards La Rochelle . The drive from Bayonne to Bordeaux is about 180km of straight flat motorway and surroundings.  Away to the left is the Atlantic Ocean and the coastline here is home to Europe's longest beach which attracts surfers from all over the world.  Signs for towns with memories of earlier holidays appear and disappear as we travel north.  The flatness doesn't really change until you get to Arcachon,  home to Europe's tallest sand dune and an important area for oyster cultivation. It is also the ancestral home of chef and author Anthony Bourdain (useless fact #1754).   A number of years ago in Arcachon I watched two men play a game of boules in the shade of a tree.  Boules is a gam

I pointed the car north east and left Pamplona, promising myself I'd return.  Tired of motorway driving I took the back roads and headed for Bayonne in French Basque Country .  The route took me through Roncevalles , long a strategic post for French invaders and famous for the defeat of Charlemagne in 778 but now a quiet hamlet and important stop for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago who have walked over the Pyrenees.  Spain is the most mountainous country in Europe after Switzerland and the passes and villages of this region are definitely Alpine.  The route climbs steadily with tight switchbacks which certainly worked the cars gearbox.  The roads were busy with pilgrims and you couldn't help being conflicted between admiration for their efforts and doubts about their intelligence.   Suddenly you notice that the road signs have changed from Spanish to French and you realise that you've crossed the border.  The directions showed St.Jean Pied de Port to be a

The BMWA Nobody quits the book club, once you're in it you're in it forever The idea for this developed over a few pints with my pal Tony Morrissi.  Funny how ideas never develop over cups of tea, or sparkling water.  Anyway, Tony says "Will we form a book club"?  I gave it careful consideration and responded immediately "It has to include whiskey"  I think Tony was a little taken aback and was openly struggling to marry the two hobbies, "No problem" he said.  From there it was a natural progression to including movies and albums (music to those lucky enough to be asked for ID when buying booze) and so The BMWA (Books, Movies, Whiskey, Albums) was formed.   It was decided that the club would be men only.  Not for any anti-feminism ideals but rather following personal circumstances we felt that men needed a forum to hang out with their friends and to discuss their stuff.  We're told that men don't talk enough. Tony being the anal

Limerick City and County has some fantastic small scale food and drink producers.  On Thursday October 19th The Lounge 102 is bringing together three of the best and most passionate in one place!! Sample locally made beer, taste local bread made with beer grains and get the great flavour of beer washed local cheese. Date: Thursday October 19, 8pm Venue: Mother Macs Public House, High St, Limerick Tickets: €10 available behind the bar Beautifully hand crafted beers, created using the finest all natural ingredients for your drinking pleasure. We are great beer. No additives, No preservatives, just fantastic quality beers. We make beer that YOU love to drink. Micro bakery specialising in Handcrafted sourdough bread & viennoiserie, based in Limerick City.  Organically driven using seasonal and local produce. The searing relationship between a farmer and his herd defines the Irish experience.  As a boy Jim O'Brien watched his father shuffle acr

Pamplona, the capital city of Navarre inextricably linked with bull fighting and Ernest Hemingway.  Hemingway visited every year from 1923 - 1927 for  San Fermin, the annual orgy of bullfighting, blood, booze and ballads when the city bursts at the seams from sheer numbers.  Indeed if it were not for him would Pamplona and its festival have gained the status it enjoys? Hemmingway Kebabs Hemmingway Drank Here Walk the city and cafes, restaurants, shops etc are named in his memory with claims of his patronage, indeed the challenge would be to find a bar where he didn't drink! All this was very appropriate as I was  reading  working my way through  For Whom The Bell Tolls.  Cafe Iruna  on  Plaza del Castillo  is credited with being his regular haunt, and it would have been mine too. A beautifully preserved 19th century building with many original features. The nearby 5 star Hotel la Perla was his hotel of choice when in town. Cafe Iruna Interior We s