Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Menu

Course 1: Tender Pork soaked in Garum a spicy sauce
Course 2: Liver of force-fed geese with mustard seeds and green onions
Course 3: Goatfish soaked in Garum a spicy fish sauce
Course 4: Cold clams and oysters served on ice and a piece of lemon on the side
Course 5: Wheat cakes soaked in honey
Course 6: Vegetables cooked in salt and enjoyed with vinegar
Course 7: Stewed and salted snails cooked with garlic and parsley

Invitation

You’re Invited
Date: December 17, 2011
Place: My house
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
It will be a seven course Roman dinner party. Hope to see you there!!!

Guest List:
Balbina Cline
Priscilla Clevenger
Servius Stuart
Publius Poling
Octavia Gregg
Urbana Donegia
Pamponia Suder
Agrippina Nuzum
Sparatacus Scott
Tullia Crowther


Saturday, November 19, 2011

Education in Ireland

Ireland’s school system is similar to ours. Ireland has three levels of education they are primary, secondary, and higher (often known as "third-level") education. Irish students usually study six to eight subjects but English, Math, Irish Language, History, Physics, and Geography are required to graduate and for your final year in Ireland you must write a play, produce a magazine, or work for a charity. Irish students also participate in sports and some write the school newspaper after school just like the school systems in America do. However in America not all schools are required to wear uniforms but in Ireland the boy students must wear a uniform that has polo-shirts along with suit jackets and a tie. The girls also wear a school jacket and skirts that usually come to the knees however some schools in Ireland require the girls to wear floor length skirts. Another big difference between Ireland and America schools is lunch. They are both about forty five minutes long but in Ireland they serve healthy and junk food, America only serves healthy food. One thing that is the same is the length of the school days they are both about seven hours long but school in Ireland starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. ours starts an hour earlier. The typical day for an Irish high school student starts at 8:30 a.m. that’s when the walk or ride the bus to school at 9:00 a.m. they head to your “seomra ranga,” your permanent classroom where you will have most of your lessons, for your first class of the day at 9:40 a.m. Your first class is over. Now you go to your second class then at 11:45 a.m. the students head to lunch. At 12:30 p.m. they head back to their classrooms to study something new then at 1:15 p.m. students play sports such as Gaelic football, Hurling (for boys), Camogie (for girls), Rugby, Football, and Rowing at 2:30 p.m. they go back to the classroom to study something else finally at 4:00 p.m. the day is over so they go to hang out with friends or do some homework. That’s the way Irish and American schools are the same and different.   

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Christmas in Ireland


 



1.      Our "American" tradition of putting a holly wreath on the door for Christmas actually came from the Irish.
2.      Christmas in Ireland is the largest celebration on the calendar in Ireland and lasts from 24 December to 6 January, although many may view 8 December as being the start of the season; the schools are closed on that day, making it a traditional Christmas shopping time.
3.      Almost the entire workforce is finished by lunchtime on Christmas Eve, or often a few days beforehand. Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day are public holidays, and many people do not return to work until after New Year's Day.
4.      Santa Claus, often known in Ireland simply as Santy or Daidí na Nollag in Irish, brings presents to children in Ireland, which are opened on Christmas morning.
5.      It is traditional to leave a mince pie and a bottle or a glass of Guinness for Santa Claus along with a carrot for Rudolph on Christmas Eve.


Chocolate Trifle
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Pudding Mix (the type you have to cook; try to find the bittersweet dark chocolate if you can)
1 cup flavored syrup (can be found in the coffee section of most supermarkets)
1 to 2 cans whipped cream
Slivered almonds and bittersweet chocolate swirls for garnish.
Method
Either bake or buy a two-layer chocolate cake. If you can get dark or bittersweet, all the better.
Break up the cake into bite size pieces and place one layer in the bottom of a glass trifle dish.
Make the pudding and chill until firm.
Spoon half the pudding onto the cake. Pour 1/2 cup of flavored syrup onto the pudding.
Squirt on whipped cream to cover and sprinkle with almonds and chocolate swirls. Repeat.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.