Gershwin, Bowels, and Vegan Shops in Dublin

The U.S. Embassy in Dublin, Ireland

As we have entered this moving process, my "diet" has gone to junk.  As a vegan on Okinawa, I have learned that the meaning of convenience food changes drastically when you stop eating eggs, meat, and cow milk.  Pre-packaged food here is rarely vegan.  Don't even get me started on the packaged fresh bento boxes full of bitter melon, egg, cream, and batter-dipped chicken.  /shudder  My bowels scream at me for even looking at food like that.


Yes.  I said "bowels."  I can say, "poop," too, if that helps us break the ice in this area.  Lookit, every human being has a lower intestine, and very few American-type human beings treat that particular organ with care and kindness.  It is shocking how little thought people give to the health of their bowels and how little attention they give to the regularity of their poop.  I mean, seriously.  Though certainly not the most attractive function of the human body, pooping is supposed to happen every day...several times.  A lot of Americans are completely blocked up most of their adult lives and consider it perfectly normal to be so.  It's not.  It's very, very bad for you, and it indicates some serious problems with your diet.  If you don't poop at least twice a day, or if you need to take daily laxatives to get things moving...you need to put the pork chop down and start eating your vegetables.  I'm just sayin.'


Anyway, in my father's family, we have a genetic predisposition to bowel trouble.  My baby brother and I, at 31 and 35 respectively, are already showing signs of heading down that problematic road...so trust me:  I got over any embarrassment in discussing bowels a long time ago.  You should, too.


Back to junk food and being vegan during a move:

So, you all know what kind of junk food I mean, right?  Chips (crisps, for you European-types), fries (chips, again, for my Euro people), and all manner of quick-grain foods like pasta and big sandwiches and hot cereals...all smothered or slathered with some kind of fatty sauce full of sugar, salt, and God-knows-what-else.

I've never been thin, but at this rate, I'll be the size of a house in no time.  Thinking of that got me to thinking about the Irish looking at me and thinking, "typical fat American."  That was a bit embarrassing, and the Irish people mocking me in my head had French accents.  That got me thinking about Gershwin's American in Paris, which is a lovely, happy piece of music.  So...I put that on the iPod and then started Googling vegan shops and restaurants in Dublin.  Yep.  I'm nuts.  This is what it's like to be me.

So, anyway - yeah, Buddy. I'm going to be a happy camper in Dublin.  Look at all I found:

The Dublin Co-op
The vegetarian institution of fair-trade and organic products in Dublin.  It's like a farmer's market/whole foods store.

Nourish
The Irish version of Whole Foods, as far as I can tell

Blazing Salads
This is going to be my FIRST restaurant visit when we get there.  Just look at their beautiful food, and it's all take-out!  We won't have a lot of time for eating out properly at a sit-down place in the beginning, so finding and making friends with a good take-out place will be a blessing.  Apparently, their tofu pizza is quite the thing because everyone who reviewed the deli mentioned the pizza specifically!

Govinda's
Doesn't this look divine?  I can't wait.  I'm thinking Govinda's will be my choice for my first-ever sit-down vegan restaurant experience.