Things I miss from home.

I have been out of Ireland for 9 months now. Slashing my old record of 80 days in similar fashion to Isner and Mahut. I now know that I am going to be back in Ireland by the end of October so I have been thinking about things that I have to do as soon as I get back. A lot of them revolve around food, because other than food most things are the same over here.

1. First things first. I will have a homemade Irish breakfast the morning I arrive home. Fado does one of the best Irish breakfasts I have had outside of Ireland, it still doesn't come close to a homemade breakfast. The ingredients are the same but it is missing something.

2. The Hot Chicken Roll. It is probably the most prized of all rolls. A foot long baguette slathered in mayonnaise to make it easier to slide down your throat. The next step is to add the cheese. Many people add the chicken next this is wrong. Firstly cheese on top of chicken = messy. Secondly cheese on top of chicken doesn't melt quite as well. Thinly slice a golden, thick, succulent piece of hot chicken and layer it on top of the cheese. Accompanied with a bottle of coke, you can't go wrong.

3. The Royal Park Chinese in Greystones. I have tried a number of different Chinese take aways in America all in the hope of getting it in a small cardboard box like in the movies. So far nothing. On top of that, my dish of choice, Sweet & Sour Chicken and Fried Rice is nowhere near as good as The Royal Park.

4. QPC Squared. Which obviously stands for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Chips. Obviously you can get this anywhere in America, but it is rubbish compared to the traditional Irish/Italian chip shops back home. The burger buns is better. The burger itself is nicer and the chips are a million times better than anything I have had in the States.

5. The Cold. America is way too hot in the summer. It needs to cool down big time. I wake up in the morning and its already too hot out. Its too hot out in the middle of the night. And then everywhere is Air Conditioned, which is too cold. I would love a nice bit of cold. Somewhere in the middle ground, just like back home.