This month Darina shares ‘a short reconnaissance trip’, visiting producers and some places that serve delicious simple food	
There’s been a sudden drop in nighttime temperatures which it has to be said can’t be unexpected given the time of year. Still, with the kids back to school as well, it’s a fairly dramatic switch in season from summertime to autumnal.
No better time than high summer (and the peak season holiday weeks) to seek out the best street food - and no better place to find it than the legendary Food Depot Gourmet Street Kitchen food truck that makes its home at West Cork Business Technology Park, Clonakilty on weekdays and then heads home to Courtmacsherry beach on Sundays.
One of the great lessons I’ve learned in my time as a GIYer is that the sowing season doesn’t stop at the end of Spring. In fact, if you want a consistent supply of vegetables over the winter, and particularly in the difficult “gap” months of March, April and May, then this is a crucially important time of the year to be sowing seeds.
In April 2018, nine ladies from Oklahoma, Texas and New Jersey set out on an ‘Irish Culinary Adventure’. We made our way to Carlingford, Co Louth, a medieval town situated along Ireland’s ancient East coast, founded by the Anglo Normans in the 12th century. Carlingford was pivotal in changing their perception of Irish food forever.
This time Darina celebrates the currant season - it’s only here for a short time but currants freeze brilliantly and frozen berries can be used in any of the recipes	
Truffles may be one of Kilkenny’s newer restaurants, but it’s also one of the most popular - and no wonder. Owner-manager, Milko Mihaylov, and Chef Lukasz Glab already had a following when they teamed up last year to bring something fresh to the city, and the unpretentious fine dining that they offer in this bright and elegant restaurant and wine bar soon made it a favourite destination for residents - and also a joy for visitors to discover	
Side by side on my desk are two books: the first edition of The Ballymaloe Cookbook by Myrtle Allen, published in 1977 by Agri Books - publishers of the Irish Farmers’ Journal, where many of Myrtle’s articles and recipes appeared - and the new, revised and updated edition The Ballymaloe Cookbook, The Cookbook that Began a Food Revolution, by Myrtle Allen (Gill & Macmillan, hardback, €27.99), which was published in May 2014 to celebrate Myrtle Allen’s 90th birthday and the 50th anniversary of her Ballymaloe restaurant, The Yeats Room.	
Named after the meat hooks used in the traditional butcher’s shop which Anthony Gray’s father, Joe, had in the town for many years, this atmospheric venue features some of the old shop's favourite butchery products - including Joe Gray's award winning sausages, which have been faithfully recreated for the restaurant.	
Today I had to find out about the passing of Steve Jobs and was surprised how sad it made me, although it is not someone I personally knew. But he did have a major impact on my life.
Without Steve there wouldn’t have been the iPhone, and without the iPhone I probably wouldn’t have become a mobile developer. It was the first mobile platform that made me realize this is my passion and made me choose this as a path for my further career.
Angela Merkel “is doing the right thing in stepping down…. The best leaders are those who know when it’s time to exit.” But Europe will lose a “remarkable” leader who was “compassionate when hearts grew cold, committed to unity when others abandoned it.”
“Any plan to rely on American trade to make up for the loss of EU benefits caused by Brexit are now merely a fantasy. Ironically, the push to remain in the EU might benefit from the US’s lurch toward insanity; the Brexit vote came when people assumed America would have a rational leader at the helm.”
“Mahathir Mohamad is on course to become the world’s oldest elected leader at 92, after a shock victory in Malaysia’s bitterly fought election” over his former protégé Najib Razak also “ousted the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has been in power since independence in 1957.”
Tags: BN coalition, Elected, Election, Independence, Leader, Mahathir, Malaysia, Najib Razak, Oldest, Shock victory
“China is cracking down on pollution like never before, with new green policies so hard-hitting and extensive they can be felt across the world, transforming everything from electric vehicle demand to commodities markets.” China is now, by far, the largest global carbon emitter, but the “government is trying to change that without damaging the economy—and perhaps even use its green policies to become a leader in technological innovation.”
“Who leads Europe? At the start of this year, the answer was obvious. Angela Merkel…. This week, it all looks very different.” Post election, Germany’s leader stands greatly reduced. In contrast, “France’s President Emmanuel Macron is bursting with ambition.” Whether he will be able to “restore France to centre-stage in the EU after a decade in the chorus depends not just on his plans for Europe, but also on his success at home, reforming a country long seen as unreformable.”
“Farewell to Barack Obama: A humane, intelligent and (mostly) effective leader…. The 44th president was a conscientious and intelligent leader who espoused humane values, inspired millions of Americans and successfully fulfilled some of his most significant promises.”
“Kim Jong Un is a weak leader in every respect but one: He pushes ahead relentlessly on a program to build missiles carrying miniaturized nuclear warheads.” It is likely that “the next U.S. president could confront a genuinely dangerous threat from a faraway place: a North Korean missile that could hit U.S. territory with a nuclear warhead.”
“America has much to be cocky about.” It has frequently been the world leader “and its entrepreneur-driven economy is again the envy of the world.” Nevertheless, the U.S. is plagued by “fear and anxiety. If you didn’t know better, you’d think this was a nation of wimps.” Whether it’s ebola or terrorism, today’s outsized fears “need to be tempered. The world’s greatest and most powerful nation deserves people who exhibit backbone and have the confidence to live by their principles.”
“Japan still firmly leads the world in aging.” Over a quarter (25.1%) of Japan’s population is now over 65. The next grayest countries are Germany and Italy with roughly 21% over 65.
“Xi Jinping has made himself the most powerful leader since Deng Xiaoping. That is probably a good thing.” His predecessor Hu Jintao proved unable to surmount the numerous obstacles to real reform. President Xi will need this increased muscle to overcome entrenched interests. “Too many people do too well out of today’s system to make change easy,” but change it should.