As a foreigner, after I have lived in Ireland for one year, several questions started to spring into my mind. With gradual understanding towards Ireland and Irish people, I found some answers by myself. But most of them are still waiting to be answered.
1) Why Do Irish People Get Married So Late?
I used to live in a home-stay, and my housemate was a 40-year-old single woman. She always told me, “Marriage is dangerous.” I have also met other girls who are still single in their 30s or even 40s. According to figures from the Central Statistics Office, the average age of grooms in 2010 was 34 years, while the average age of brides was 32 years. This is incredible compared to Asian culture, where people tend to marry in their 20s.
2) What's The Charm Of Pubs?
To the Irish, the pub is concerned with more than just drinking, and a central part of their lives. However, the most confusing thing for foreigners is why Irish people enjoy lingering around pubs and bars so much, and can sit or even stand just talking and talking for hours on end?
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3) Do You Eat Potatoes Everyday?
I still remember how surprised I was when I saw wedges for the first time in Ireland. To many people, Irish food always means potatoes. Arthur Young, an Englishman who toured Ireland in the 1770s indicated in his report: (1) A working man would eat 14lb (6.5kg) of potatoes a day. (2) A family with 4 children would consume 5 tons of potatoes per year with any excess going to the pigs or chickens. This is quite unbelievable. Apart from potatoes, lucky foreigners would find other Irish food pretty nice, for example, Irish lamb stew, rustic brown bread and black pudding!
4) Do You Drink Guinness Three Times A Day?
I happened to see an advertisement posted outside of a pub saying: “soup of the day - Guinness.” Well, I bet some people do have soups three times a day.
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5) Do You Dislike English People?
Well, I remember when I asked an Irish man this question, he replied, “do you Chinese dislike Japanese people?” Bingo! He won.
6) Why Don't You Have Red Hair?
In general, most Irish people would be speechless toward this question, and I have tested it.
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7) Do You Know Enya And U2?
We want to show we are interested in Irish music, so we mention Enya and U2. However, local Irish people would rather talk more about The Dubliners or The Pogues.
8) Why Do You Have More Pubs Than Restaurants In Ireland?
As Ireland produces some of the finest beers and whiskeys in the world, Irish cuisine possesses less of a reputation. If you ask an Irish person which pub is popular, he/she would make a long list for you. However, if you ask about restaurants, they would probably recommend pizza, Chinese food or even Burger King.
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9) Is Irish Your Second Language?
Most Irish people claim that they have learned Irish throughout their school years, yet most of them admit they still can’t speak a word of it.
10) Have Irish People Heard Of The Romantic Love Story Behind Irish Coffee?
When I asked about the secret of Irish coffee, every Irish person would say, “yep, we add whiskey to the coffee.” So what about the romantic love story of the Irish bartender and the American stewardess, which used to touch me to tears? They all shake their heads.
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