something you wont learn in DIT Cathal Brugha st

On his recent visit to Dublin Ireland, Nicolas SourCosy was attacked by a disgruntled waiter (in the street not in an actual restaurant) who tried to pelt the French President with eggs. Fortunately the waiter was not an ex DIT student or currently on 1 of our Food & Beverage Management courses. Full story from the Irish Times which didn't use the headline....
"Oeufs for the oaf"

sidra house rules. Postcard from Austurias

Academics holidays are almost as good as in the dail and the main reason why i have negleted the blog. When on important holiday business i tend to crash the laptop, let the mobile run dead, walk past cafes with wifi signs, stop wearing socks, avoid shopping and go somewhere the buses don't and electricity is erratic. Spent part of the time in Austurias - northern spain west of Bilbao and the Basquelands. Also know as green spain. No wine, no olives, only a few citrus trees. Apples and cider rule the day and every village has its sideria. It's also big dairy country suppling the whole of the country with such products. Unlike the rest of Spain they cook with butter, there is real milk - the cows bells ring like a modern overture up in the picos, (think Swiss Alps). They look tanned and as if they've been freshly groomed every morning. The chocolate is renowned there's even a chocolate museum.The yoghurt is thick creamy delicious and there is a huge variety of cheeses - esp to be recommended, cabrales and gamoneda. There are beans (fabes) to beat the band in abundance, (the climate is ideal mild summers harsh winters) pinto, roxa, colora, verdina - like heinz 57 different varieties. They form the basis of hearty stews with morcilla - spanish black pudding or other cured meats like chorizo, or tocino, lacon. Pigs ear anyone? So thats where i've been and why i've been so quiet

Faulty Ireland - fudging the B&B issue?

Another challenge has been made to Faulty Ireland's laissez-faire philosophy, this time from the Town and Country Homes Association, which represents many of Ireland's Bed and Breakfast operators.

The Association has drawn attention to the voluntary nature of registration of B&Bs with FI, which means, in effect, that tourists have no way of being sure a B&B will deliver a good-quality stay. Of course tourists can opt to stay in a B&B which happens to be registered, but more often than not a visitor to our shores will have to take pot luck.

At a time when there is a real squeeze on the tourist industry, which has hit B&Bs particularly hard, it boggles belief that most B&Bs still do not have to register with the national tourism authority, are not graded for quality and are not regulated on prices.

FI have said they are preparing an "action plan" for the sector. Quite. What are the odds that this will be another piece of fudge, full of half-measures and short-termist compromises?

Mint man goes from strength to strength!

Dylan McGrath of Ranelagh's prestigious Mint restaurant has been crowned "Chef of the year" in Food and Wine's Irish restaurant awards for 2008. No stopping the man - just as there seems to be no stopping Ryanair's Michael O'Leary, and there lies a thought! O'Leary is his industry's rude boy, and people don't seem to hold it against him.

I was fortunate to take a friend out to Mint about 18 months ago. My companion and I ate like princes - until 9.30 or so. That we had outstayed our welcome became clear at that time, because not only was the bill brought to me unasked for, but so were our coats! I was too taken aback to protest properly then and there, but when I wrote to Mint a few days later, did I get an apology? Divil a bit of it! The letter back only apologised, grudgingly, for not making it clear to us earlier that they, to use that horrible celtic tiger phrase, "needed the table back" at 9.30. Well fair enough pal- they have it back, and as far as I and my companion are concerned they can keep it!

US airlines charge fatties for extra seats.

Airline Charges:could airline passengers soon face the same penalties for being overweight as baggage?
US passengers gained an average of 10lbs during the 1990s' resulting in an extra 350 million gallons of fuel being used by aircraft.
Southwest airlines has already started charging overweight passengers for two seats following complaints from passengers whose seats were sat upon by "overweight neighbours"
Canada takes a different line with the law prohibiting airlines charging overweight passengers extra for taking up more than 1 seat. This new law will cost Air Canada €4.4 million a year in lost revenue. As the price of oil steadily increases how long will it be before this law is repealed?.Ryanair assure us they have no intention of charging overweight passengers so that should reassure us all?.The full article is available in the Irish Times July 5th.

Hotels - still ripping us off, with help from Failte Ireland?

In The Irish Times for Tuesday July 15th, there is a story of a couple who tried to use a voucher for 440 Euro to book a hotel in Galway during race week. According to the Irish Times, the hotel in question tried to add on another 130 Euro a night, presumably because of the week that was in it.

This is no surprise in rip-off Ireland. Now that we are facing a serious downturn, some hotels are offering great value, but others see nothing wrong in continuing to squeeze those extra bucks from the punters. What may alarm some, however, is Failte Ireland's reported attitude. Apparently, FI do set maximum prices, but then allow these to be breached for special events such as Galway race week.

Perhaps FIs attitude is part of the problem. Why can't the Irish tourism industry and authorities work out a maximum prices - and then stick to them? We saw the same mindset at work in the Ryder cup in 2006. The then minister for Tourism, John O'Donoghue, criticised the hugely inflated prices being charged by hotels during the Ryder Cup, but received scant support from Failte Ireland, who made excuses for the hotels instead of backing up the minister.

Come on Fawlty Ireland - why don't you play your part in policing the sector more, and making Ireland a consistent, good-cvalue destination again!

"Close your eyes and you could almost be on Bondi"

A bit of a stretch, perhaps to imagine lounging on one of Australia's most famous beaches unless you are taking some mind altering drugs?.
But with palm trees, beach cabanas, lounge chairs, parasols, barbecues, beer, 240 tonnes of sand and salsa dancers, you could almost be in Tramore.
I refer to the launch of Ireland's first urban beach in George's Dock at the International Financial Services Centre. Inspired by cites like Amsterdam which have created similar beach settings, Dublin's Docklands authority have splashed out more than €200,000 on trucking in tonnes of sand from Wexford in a bid to transform the site into a "seaside oasis"
Day- trippers will be able to play giant chess, jenga, mini golf, volley ball, beach soccer and hire pedal boats while for those looking to party into the sunset there are several themed evenings including a Tango night and Salsa night.
The urban beach will be open until July 20th and it's well worth a visit. SPF20 advised for those who burn easily!. The full article is available in The Sunday Business Post 6th Jul.

Tourism slow as Olympics approach

With the Beijing Olympics less than two months away, hotel operators, travel agencies and foreign businessmen claim tougher Chinese visa restrictions are proving bad for business. A number of new hotels have been built for the Olympic opening but many say business is slow.
New visa restrictions were put in place in May for "security considerations". The government has said it is determined to combat possible threats to the Games including suicide bombings and chemical attacks. They believe a terrorist attack during the Beijing Olympics is a real possiblity.This year has seen China plagued by riots in Tibet, protests of the Olympic torch relay and the Sichuan earthquake. This has resulted in a huge security presence on Beijing's streets.
So what's in store for those lucky enough to make it in to China?.
All outdoor parties planned for the three-week-long Olympic celebration have been banned and bars will be forced to close early. Is it any wonder tourists are staying away.The inclement weather in Ireland may prevent many outdoor parties but you can always depend on the pubs being open.