Delicacy at home, usual here Grocery shopping has got to be one of my favourite chores ever, especially when abroad. So, when I came to Ireland, I was already excited to see what surprises the stores had for me- the following 4 have been the most interesting so far
Beef and seafood are cheap
This might be just my local Lidl, but I found, that beef in Ireland is much cheaper, than back in my home country. Same goes for seafood, including salmon and prawns, which are often considered delicacies back home. Surprisingly though, chicken is quite pricy for some reason along with turkey and other kinds of poultry meat. Luckily, I鈥檓 huge on beef and seafood, so much so that I鈥檝e been incorporating both in my diet on a weekly basis, something I almost never do back home.
Memberships can save you a lot
The first time I found out about this, I was actually at one of the drug stores, contemplating if I should invest in a high-quality hair oil, I鈥檝e been eyeing for quite some time, even when I was still at home. The price was outrageous, so much so that it almost deterred me from buying it, when I suddenly saw a little red tag under it, which claimed that if I get a membership card, I鈥檇 have the product for half its original price. I was immediately sold- and so was the hair oil not long after. These memberships can help one save a lot of money, especially if used long-term, and for larger shopping trips, so I鈥檇 definitely recommend getting them as early as possible.
Alcohol is Expensive
This was amongst the last things I expected when I came to Ireland. For a country, famous for its drinking culture, alcohol is ridiculously expensive. For reference, I too come from a country, where a lot of alcohol is consumed and produced, for dirt cheap, might I add! Back home, you could get a bottle of good quality wine starting from 4 or 5 euros- here I鈥檓 lucky if I get a decent quality bottle for 10. For some time, I even contemplated resorting to just beer instead of wine, but even that is expensive here! Another thing I found surprising, is that they take ID-ing very seriously here. Even if I bought just one canned drink with minimal percentage of alcohol, they鈥檇 ask to see my ID anyway, and even double check at times. I suppose it鈥檚 a good thing, that the country takes the distribution of alcohol amongst minors so seriously, but it鈥檚 definitely something I wasn鈥檛 used to.
Insane Amounts of Crisps
To start things off: I love crisps. I could eat my bodyweight of them in one sitting. If crisps have no fans, that means that I鈥檓 dead. However, even I have my limits, and family sized crisps are one of them. Me and my friends bought one for one of our hangouts, just for fun, and we couldn鈥檛 finish it. There were six of us, might I add. I have seriously never seen packs these huge before, and whilst I do understand the reasoning behind them, I can鈥檛 help but find the amounts obscenely large.
Generally speaking, though, if you manage your money well, grocery shopping and cooking will be child鈥檚 play here, in Ireland. As a proof of this, the picture below shows a delicacy I鈥檝e been cooking for myself on a weekly basis, simply because it is that affordable.
By Barbi Beck, Hungary
