So what would you miss most if you left our wee country and went to live somewhere else, even for a short time. I suppose my mind has been a little bit focused on this topic because by the end of the month, both sons will be far overseas and youngest will be sampling the delights of Ecuadorian life. George, who now lives 'down under' but used to reside only a couple of miles from my home, calls himself an Australian, which of course he is, having left these shores with his family over thirty years ago, as a lad of twelve. But somewhere in the depths of his heart is still a small corner reserved exclusively for all things Irish, whether it be the national rugby team, the Northern Ireland soccer team or just the memories of a time he once knew. On his several visits 'home', however, his greatest desire is to taste the food that you just can't get on the other side of the world. Last time, it was Paris buns, forever immortalised in Van Morrison's 'Cleaning Windows' song, dome shaped cakes that rise to a point and covered with sugar drops as large as small hailstones. Then there were the snowballs, not the sticky, marshmallow type, covered in chocolate but a much more rare bun that was covered in coconut and tasted divine. But the thing he most hankered after was Wheaten bread. Sometimes he would toast it, other times just eat it straight form the packet with a big blob of butter and a thick spread of raspberry or strawberry jam as a roof. You just couldn't get it at home and even though his mum had attempted to make it with their own 'local' flour, it just didn't taste the same. Why even his wife, a true Australian, and their three kidlets all got hooked on it and I guess it is one of their abiding memories of our wee country. But it's not the only food that those who have left the green and pleasant land, recall with fondness. There are the traditional soda farls which I remember mum made on a weekly basis and never lasted until Friday. She had a huge griddle that sat on top of the cooker and could easily hold four large farls and sometimes she used wheaten flour to make the equivalent shape in that variety. Often we would have a Barm Brack in the house, a round, sweet bread full of raisins and often eaten at tea time. The word 'brack' is a derivative of the Irish word 'breac' which meant speckled and probably referred to the fruit it contained while 'Barm' often pronounced 'barn' could have been a mispronunciation of the Irish word 'aran' that meant bread so Barm Brack was really 'speckled bread.'
Then there was Irish Stew, a mixture of lamb, potatoes, onions and carrots all cooked in a casserole, Nettle Soup that required a little care when gathering the ingredients and Champ, that consisted entirely of mashed potatoes and scallions, though the latter could also be replaced with nettles when the onions were scarce. Also mum and dad often had bacon and cabbage for dinner and it is only recently that I discovered this is a dish that is not widely eaten across the planet.
But of course, one bread that is indeed very exclusive to our country is Veda, a malted, sweet bread, brown in colour and soft in consistency that just sort of melts in the mouth and is even more delicious when toasted. We used to have it regularly at home, sometimes at tea time when the Mother's Pride loaf, soda and wheaten farls appeared too along plenty of home made jam, but often it was more likely to appear at breakfast or supper as a toast offering that could easily have been a burnt offering because it seemed to toast much more quickly than other breads. There are rumours that the recipe for Veda bread was actually stumbled on when a lady in Scotland used damp wheat which had sprouted to produce malted wheat for baking and she made this beautiful brown, sweet malted bread, but there is actually no official recipe available outside of the bakeries here that still make the stuff and I don't think they're too keen to give out their secret to the general public, so I guess most of the world will just have to take our word for it when we describe this lovely bread that is no longer made anywhere else.
Wouldn't it have been strange if God had not revealed to everyone the way of salvation. There was never any doubt in His mind as to what He wished to achieve by sending His only Son to the cross and the fact that it happened around the time of the traditional Passover meant that Jerusalem would be full of Jews gathering there for this special festival. And when Jesus appeared to His disciples after He rose from the grave, He made it quite clear to them that the recipe for a full life could only be found through trusting in Him. Even long before His death He told them, 'I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.' Such words are not of one who wants to hide the good news and keep it a secret. And of course, before He returned to His Father in heaven he left them with a great commission by saying 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.'
They tell me that you can buy Coca Cola or McDonald's in almost every country in the world. How's that for belief in your product and enthusiasm to b ring it to others. I guess Veda is less well marketed. But how enthusiastic are we about taking our faith in Jesus beyond our comfort zone. Maybe it's even to much to ask to take it next door. I reckon the world might have to wait a little longer.
