This past weekend, Disaster Cat went to Belfast. Never mind the interesting murals and national flags (they change depending on what street you drive on) no, what I found really interesting about this trip was: breakfast. I was in Belfast to attend an SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) event. For those who don't know, the SCA is sort of a semi-private club where people with an interest in the past (mostly Europe from about the time of King Author to the time of Queen Elizabeth) dress up in traditional clothing and spend their weekends doing various sorts of period activities. My husband is a "fighter" meaning he spends a lot of time dressed up in leather armor, hitting people with sticks. I usually spend a lot of time with a drop spindle and running a sales table full of hand woven trim, leather pouches, hand made hats and other trade goods. Anyway, any time the SCA gets together you can expect the unexpected. And this event proved no exception.
Many events try to have "period" (i.e. traditional) foods, but sometimes this is skipped over, especially at breakfast . Often, more local dishes are served instead. This time we were treated to something the locals call "The Ulster Fry"....I shall never forget it. People who are from (or who have traveled to) Ireland or the UK, are aware that a "traditional" Irish or English breakfast (at least in B and B's) is most often a fatty sausage, flabby bacon, a fried tomato, fried egg, canned beans, toast and sometimes a slice of fried bread, black pudding or piece of mushroom. Now imagine this basic meal, but instead of beans, you get sausage, bacon, a fried egg and at least four different kinds of deep fried bread! Yes, it seems that no Ulster Fry is complete without fried soda farls (soda bread), potato farls (a sort of soft potato bread), pancakes (pre-packaged from the store) and a sort of flat bread cut into triangle shapes that I missed the name of ...I asked about this, staring at a plate piled high with deep fried goodies.
"Oh, Yes," my friends explained, "its traditional to have all four types of bread, in fact the local markets sell "fry packs" with two of each item. Just to make sure you don't miss out on anything. To be fair, many home made breakfasts grill (use the broiler) to heat up the bread, which makes it toasted rather than deep fried. But I gather the "true" "Fry Experience" is always deep fried. Sausage and bacon as well as the bread. I should point out that this is also the land of the "deep fried Mars Bar" a delicacy that my chocolate allergy prevents me from tasting. A friend assures me that "its not as bad as it sounds..."
Now I like deep fried food, in moderation. Even if its not very good for me. But I have to admit, that despite a valiant effort to eat my breakfast, I only made it through about half of the stuff on my plate. And part of that was the tomato. Later in the morning I was very glad that I had brought some antacid tablets with me. I always bring them to SCA events, since sometimes "period" cooking doesn't always agree with me. But I hadn't really expected to need them for breakfast....
What amazes me, being originally from the land of breakfast donuts and pop-tarts, is the array of different things people consume for their morning meal. Traveling to SCA events around Europe has been a real eye opener. One event sponsored by a mostly American group presented us with home made Cinnamon buns. That's it, just sugar death, no options. Whereas in Sweden, we got the same breakfast every morning: cold ham, cold salami, cold cheese and rye bread. By the end of that week, I was ready to kill for a bowl of oatmeal....but I have to say that for sheer heaviness, the Ulster Fry so far wins the day. Not only did I not care much about lunch, I was only beginning to be able to think about food by dinner time. This I suspect, is the history behind the Ulster Fry. In a place that until very recently, was not known for its economic surceases, fried bread is cheap and filling. And, I'm delighted to have experienced such a breakfast.....once! Next time I'll know to ask for 1/2 of everything...I just may be able to handle 2 pieces of fried bread, but any more to that I will leave to the locals...after all they have had years of pratice...
The rest of the trip was fun, and included going to the local shopping mall dressed in full Viking dress...no one even looked at us twice...I guess they thought the BBC must be filing nearby....
So much for my second blog...stayed tuned for more of the Adventures of Disaster Cat"