WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 20

LOVE LETTERS

A lover wooed a woman unsuccessfully for many months, suffering the atrocious pains of rejection. Finally his sweetheart relented and sent him a message to call for her the following week. The lover was so excited and could hardly wait.

Eventually the day arrived and he set off with much anticipation. When he arrived and was at last seated by his beloved, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheaf of love letters and poems that he had written to her over the past months.

They were passionate letters, expressing the pain he felt and his burning desire to experience the delights of love and union. He began to read them to his beloved. The hours passed by and he read on and on.

Finally the woman said, “What kind of fool are you? These letters are all about me, and your longing for me. Well, here I am sitting with you at last and you are lost in your stupid letters.”

5 MINUTES WITH DOMINIC MCDERMOTT

Dominic McDermott lives near Malin Head. He moved here 6 months ago from England with his wife Andrea Carr and their two children. The couple were married in Lagg back in 2000 and always knew they would eventually live in Ireland as they have a lot of connections here. Andrea, (who used to be a restaurant manager) and Dominic have set up a new business called Café Banba selling fresh coffee, hot chocolate and snacks from a three-wheeled Piaggio van. The van is Italian and has a tiny 200cc engine, which is just enough to get it up the hill to Banba’s crown to serve delicious drinks to the tourists who head to the landmark every day. Because the business is mobile, Dominic has also been able to cater for the large film crew on location in the area making the film A Shine of Rainbows.


What music do you like?
I like anything with a 70’s influence and used to run a disco that specialised in that era. I also enjoyed promoting a couple of bands. Melting Moments were an easy listening band and Sisters of Satisfaction who were a group of men dressed up as nuns…

What would you never throw away?
Photographs. I have taken thousands of them over the years and wouldn’t like to lose any of them. I have most of them backed up by at least 5 different methods, just to be sure.

What book are you reading?
Most of my reading at the moment is connected with the business. I am interested in the art of making coffee though and love the subculture that coffee making has - it even has its own name – A Barista, someone who is a cappuccino coffee expert.

What was your favourite childhood game?
I was in the scouts when I was younger and enjoyed a game called Bulldog. It was a very physical game, requiring a lot of running and throwing people to the floor. I am not sure if it is still allowed now though for health and safety reasons.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
I am very methodical when it comes to the paper. It’s usually front to back I do have in interest in the GAA. My plumber Danny Lafferty plays for Malin town so I would look at the sports pages if they were playing to see how they got on.

What is your idea of a good night out?
Going to Farrens, the most northerly bar. I was coming to Malin for 14 years before we moved here and the first time I walked in the bar, everyone knew me. You can’t get better than that!

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
A friend of mine took me around the Mars confectionary factory to relax before I went for an interview with Cable and Wireless for a job. The buildings were very close to one another. You had to wear a hair net to go around the chocolate factory and it wasn’t until I finished the interview with the panel of executives that I realised I had a red band across my forehead where the tight elastic had been on the hairnet. I looked like I had a lobotomy. I got the job though…

Have you a favourite TV programme?
I watch Lost, I blame my wife, she put me on to it!

How do you relax?
I used to take flying lessons, which included paragliders and small aircraft. I found that very relaxing.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I wanted to be an astronaut as I was obsessed with space.

Where would you like to go for your holidays?
My ideal holiday is Tuscany and went there a lot when I was younger. There are 25 of us going over for my mum’s 60th birthday.

Your idea of heaven?
It would have to be Malin. We moved here from Worthing on the south coast of England and the only thing I miss are local curry houses. Its 40-mile round trip to get a takeaway!

Your idea of hell?
Commuting to work. I had to commute to London from Worthing 3-4 times a week, which could put nearly three hours onto your working day.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Kylie - both to sing and talk to. I played a lot of her music in the discos. Barry White and Sister Sledge could come along too.

Favourite animal?
Our fluffy ginger cat Bosley, named after a character from the Charlie’s Angels series.

Biggest thrill?
People coming over from England to visit the beautiful part of the world we live in.

The world’s most irritating invention?
Although I need it, I would say it is the mobile phone.

What is your idea of a good night in?
A night in with my family, a DVD and a can of Guinness.

Biggest disappointment?
Not moving here sooner… We have been here 6 months and have enjoyed every second. I am just pleased we did it now though..

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
The 1970’s. I wasn’t quite old enough to experience the big discos.

World’s most useful invention?
The espresso machine and coffee grinder. Coffee loses its taste quickly when it has been ground so it needs to be made into a drink straight away.




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Mothers Brownies

Don't worry, everything's gonna be all right. Shush, just look at me. I'll make you some of Mother's Brownies.

I actually baked this bath(sick(sic)) of brownies about a week or so ago, but forgot to internote it. I used Baker's baking chocolate, which has the recipe written on the back of the box. If you look at the front of the box, next to the name, the picture looks like a mother holding a tray of brownies. This image is also imprinted upon each piece of chocolate inside.

1.5 sticks of butter
4 blocks of unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups normal sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour

Melt the butter and chocolate, then combine them and toss in the other stuff in order. When it's together, dump into a 13x9 inch baking pan (I lined it with parchment paper) and bake it at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes. Oh yeah, the oven should probably be preheated first. That's important. When enough time has passed, take the back end of a match and poke a hole in the brownies. If it comes out clean, they should be done, so you can then strike the match as a sign of victory.

[Mother's Brownies]

These things taste pretty great, and you should eat them. Some people say brownies should cool first, but they don't know what they're talking about. Take advantage by putting the still hot brownies on a plate and then a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream next to it.

(note: me calling these Mother's Brownies and the image looking like a mother are completely unrelated)

Troy Chocolate Cake

I got a huge amount of fanmail recently about the Crispy Mister Sandwich in regard to the contest I set up. They were all mostly good attempts at the sandwich, but I think this one stood out as the best. Congratulations to the winner; you will be receiving a package of stickers in the mail along with a jam rock music cd! (note: contest void in canada)

I know I said the previous chocolate cake I made was the chocolate cake that would make all other cakes obsolete, but I like eating cake so I made this cake recipe provided by Anna of CookieMadness: Troy Chocolate Cake.

~A long time ago I made a childhood promise about cakes. Arbitrary childhood promises are the kinds of things that really define your character. For example, the classic “never change”. I however made vowed never to bake a cake again after a horrible tragedy occurred. I had baked a wonderful cake mix cake for some friends, and brought it over to one of their houses so everyone could enjoy. Unfortunately, the four sticks of butter involved in this small cake was too much, instantly killing my best friend upon impact with his mouth. Never again would I allow such a thing to happen.*~

The Troy Chocolate Cake is different in that it doesn’t involve butter in the batter. It is a cake of healing. Instead it has a bunch of mayonnaise, something you may remember from the tuna melt sandwich recipe, so it’s certain to be a success. I began working on the initial steps of mixing things together in bowls. At first, I thought to just use a cereal bowl, but using my keen powers of foresight, I recalled that the ingredients listed would not fit, so I opted for a larger metal bowl. I saw in the corner of my eye some sort of automatic electrical mixing machine, but I decided not to call upon higher powers to assist me just yet. I was getting exhausted at this point; it was time for a break. I indulged in some Breyers ice cream. Mmm, smooth and creamy.

[Mixing Things]

I took out some parchment paper to line the pan and pressed it in to fit, but it popped back up, refusing to give in. I was about to have a mental breakdown here, but I decided to pour the batter in anyway, and it turns out everything worked out fine.

[Ready for Baking]

I put it in the oven at 325 for 35 minutes, then got started on the icing. I spent time sifting the confectioners sugar which I’m sure I completely ruined the point of sifting it in the first place when I just dumped all the ingredients together at the same time and was determined to mix by hand with a spoon. The cake finished as I was about done with the icing.

[Icing]
[Cake and Icing]

The icing was kind of lumpy, but I really don’t mind. The end result is a tasty cake.

[Icinged Cake]

*Exciting True Stories may or may not be exciting or true.

Crispy Mister Sandwich

It was nightlunch time, so I went into the kitchen as normal procedure. Looking through some cabinets, I decided that I would do something with nutella. Spreading it on bread might be good. Maybe if the bread was coated in lard and fried it might be better. Frying bread was an idea I liked, but I couldn’t fit the nutella into it without being a real europoofter so I decided to go into a sandwich route. Cheese and meat is good, so I got some provolone cheese and sliced ham ready. This sandwich was looking like it might be kind of [large fancy colourful ‘L’]ame at this point, mostly because of the bread, so I cracked some eggs (you may remember I am the best at cracking eggs), mixed them with a fork and combined them with two slices.

[Sandwich Preparation]

Luckily there was just enough for all of the eggs to be absorbed fully. I didn’t know how to get this from my eggy bowl to the frying pan, so I thought to put them on a paper towel at first, but then I just brought the pan over to the table with all my cooking organization. I would put the paper towels I got ready to use later. My plan for the sandwich was to have the cheese on the outsides of the ham, so they would get melty better. It is always important to have the meal fully planned out. After layering one slice of egg-soaked bread in the pan with cheese, I put on a bunch of slices of ham.

[Sandwich Construction]

During this, I kept reassuring myself that I’ve had a previous experience with this, and I feel it would be in my best interest to add more meat than I think I need. On top of the ham, another layer of cheese, then the second bread slice. It was time for cooking process, and everything was going fine until I decided it was important that I flip the sandwich over a lot to check how it’s cooking.

[Sandwich Cooking]

The first flip was a disaster; cheese was falling out, one slice of bread slid halfway off from all the contents, and it may have been my imagination, but I thought I tore the bread in half. And while trying to fix it, I managed to burn two of my fingers from direct contact with the pan.

[Sandwich Cooking]

Realizing I forgot about buttering the pan, I snuck in some butter while lifting the sandwich up since butter is a secret ingredient. I let it cook for a while though and it was looking all right again.

[Sandwich Cooking]

When the sandwich was finished, I determined that it was overall a great success! The bread had that great french toast taste to it, the cheese was all melty and delicious, and the ham was meaty. Actually, I think the ham was way too sweet for the sandwich. I would maybe want a meat that’s completely meaty without the overwhelming sweetness for next time.

[Sandwich]

WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 19

PERCEPTIONS

A famous American psychologist oversaw a remarkable experiment. He gave all the students in a school an IQ test just before the end of the school year. After the test he choose ten students and he told their teachers, “From their tests, we have discovered that these children are mentally gifted and are bound to be top of their class next year. Please don’t tell the class as it might be harmful to them.” The teachers promised not to say anything. In fact none of the ten was mentally gifted, they had been chosen randomly.

A year later the psychologists returned to the school and tested the children again. All of the “mentally gifted” students had increased their IQ by at least ten points, with some of them rising by thirty six points. When the teachers were asked to describe these children they used words such as ‘intelligent’, ‘lively’, ‘interested’, and ‘dynamic’. It was the how the teachers saw these children and how they interacted with them that developed their potential.

Our perceptions create our reality.

5 MINUTES WITH - KATHLEEN GRANT

Kathleen Grant from Burt is a full time carer and well-known fundraiser. As well as her charitable activities, Kathleen is the caretaker for Burt Hall. An active member of the Aileach Women’s Group, she enjoys photography, quizzes and is a keen bingo player. She also never misses a GAA match at the club in Burt


What music do you like?
I love music. I turn on the radio in every room at 8 am, except the bathroom, but I am working on that….I enjoy ballads and Irish Country and Western, pan pipes and classical music. My choice of stations is the Inishowen Community Radio and Highland until 3pm. I used to enjoy Frankie Byrne on Radio Eireann, she used to help with peoples’ problems and played Frank Sinatra songs to break up the talking.

What would you never throw away?
Nothing. A tidy house is the sign of a wasted life…I have a few things that I hold on to like the ink pen I used at school. It has a wooden shaft and a nib that you would dip into the inkwells. I campaigned for the bottle banks in Burt and try to recycle most things if I do throw them out.

What book are you reading?
North by Northwest, this is a book about the life and times of Liam McCormick. Liam was the architect of the St Aengus Church here in Burt. His work is inspirational.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
I am very hard to please but I did enjoy the Bucket List about two terminally ill men escaping from a cancer ward and heading off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die. The thing I remember most about being in the cinema was a woman spilling her popcorn all over the floor next to me.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
The headlines, then the local notes and politics stories. If the Burt boys are playing GAA, I will check out how they are doing on the sports pages.

What do you think about voting on the Lisbon Treaty?
It is important to have your say. I couldn’t wait until my 18th birthday to vote. I think everyone should use their vote, even if they spoil them.

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
There are numerous times. Two spring to mind though. I am an identical twin and my sister Breige and I dressed alike. I was in Byrne’s clothes shop in Derry and ran into a mirror thinking it was my sister. The other time was when I thought I walked into a bookshop in Carrigart. It turned out to be someone’s front room. The owner was a keen collector of books and thankfully saw the funny side of a complete stranger in his house.

Have you a favourite TV programme?
I enjoy factual and current affairs programmes. I also enjoy quizzes and a bit of reality TV like Big Brother

How do you relax?
Going out for a meal or travelling. I relax by keeping busy

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I fancied being a hotel receptionist. I still enjoy making people feel at home.

Where would you like to go for your holidays?
I love both Westport in County Mayo and Newcastle in County Down.

Your idea of heaven?
Just give me a hotel room and breakfast in bed.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
John Bowman from Questions and Answers and the entertainer Breezy Willow- the scone maker. She prepares her scones, sings and recites funny stories (Buncrana library have a DVD of her). Josef Locke can do a bit of after dinner singing for us to end the night.

Favourite animal?
My cat of 12 years. We have never named her and just call her Puss.

Biggest fear?
Losing family members and friends…. And the price of chips going up…

What was your favourite childhood game?
I wasn’t that physical when I was young so I tended to play board games. I enjoyed working things out (and still do) There were eight of us in the family and we often played Ludo, cards and Connect 4 into the early hours of the morning.

Biggest thrill?
When the Burt Boys won the County final hurling.

The world’s most irritating invention?
The phone, especially when I am eating my dinner.

Personal philosophy?
Live and let live.

What is your idea of a good night in?
I would rather have a good night out.

Biggest disappointment?
Not getting to Fatima, the Portuguese shrine. My friend Christine suggested we go, but with one thing and another it didn’t work out.

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
1916 –1922 uprising. Definitely not the famine, I couldn’t do without food.


World’s most useful invention?
If I said the tin opener people would think I couldn’t cook, so it would have to be media devices such as the radio, television and computers… and the pen.