Longing for the ‘old normal’
Have you seen the long queues out of McDonalds and Penneys the other day?
As wonderful it is to see the country re-opening, it was a bit heart-wrenching to see that all we seem to want is cheap clothing and fast food. Saying that, a local woman who was in the queue to McDonalds said that the look on her son’s face was worth it.
Let’s hope that we also see queues when our bars and restaurants are opening again. The team behind the Rising Sons Brewery must have heard my sorrows of missing them as they are now offering 5l kegs of their award-winning beer to the public. The post on Facebook wasn’t even a minute old when I placed my order of Grainu Ale – just a few hours later, Mr T mentioned that since I like Changeling so much, we should order a second keg.
If you think now what a considered husband I have, I can ensure you that he was thinking more of the Grainu Ale he doesn’t have to share now!
With that, we have planned a great Friday night in – homemade pizza, a large bowl of salad and two kegs sitting side by side in front of two smiling happy people. Place your order before midnight on Tuesday to risingsonscork@gmail.com and you will get a pickup time for the following Friday. I think that head brewer Shane will be a busy man!
And if beer isn’t your thing, you can also get bottles of cocktails from Vicarstown Bar from the pub – same procedure.
It is weird looking back at how our Friday nights used to be – Mr T would finish work and we would meet in one of the local pubs – either Johnny’s in the Castle Hotel or Brownes – catching up with neighbours while sipping on a cold G&T or a pint. Now, we are planning a pizza night in.
I read a lot of analysts telling us that virtual meetings and events, remote working and online shopping will be the new normal for us. I can only hope that this isn’t the way we will live from now on. I miss the human contact, the craic, the hugs from my friends and the chats in the shops. Not sure about you – but I really miss the old normal.
And just as I was finishing this column, I got an email about a teenager who has entrepreneurship in his blood.
I met Tim O’Driscoll a while back when he was a 10 year old boy selling his delicious ice cream at food festivals.
He has now used the lockdown to create a product line of baking mixes including scones, brown bread, cupcakes and more. He was concerned about the waste of food when people were shopping for baking and only needed smaller amounts. His product line Fastnet Foods is now available in SuperValu in Munster and nationwide online from www.fastnetfoods.com.
Tim went from a 10 year old ice cream vendor to the producer of a product line in transition year. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with when he enters adulthood. Ireland – watch this food entrepreneur!