- Really, guys?
(whimsical music)
- I'm Donal Skehan.
I've been cooking since about the age of 10.
I grew up in Dublin, Ireland,
and today, we're gonna try some Irish treats.
Lovely.
We've got potatoes, carrots, cabbage.
Got a bit of mustard.
This is looking strong.
Traditionally, for St. Patrick's Day,
we have bacon and cabbage,
but when you understand the origins
of what corned beef and cabbage is all about,
it is an Irish dish.
This looks pretty good.
Let's try some.
Do we have a knife?
I've been given a fairly extreme knife.
It's tender, right?
Mm.
Whoo.
What sort of mustard is that?
That is some hot mustard.
It tastes good.
It's got that salty hit.
I'm not opposed to a bit
of corned beef and cabbage in my life.
(upbeat music)
Nice.
You cannot go wrong with a plate of fish and chips.
As an Irish nation,
we eat a lot of fish and chips,
but I guess so do the people in the UK, as well.
Nice chips on the side.
Tartar sauce comes in this little plastic thing.
I grew in Howth, in Dublin,
which is a beautiful little fishing village,
so I have high expectations.
Well, let's check out how the Americans do fish and chips.
(chuckling)
Mm.
Not bad.
Apart from the soggy batter.
I could live with that, for the moment,
but the flavor is there.
It's been well-seasoned.
Go onto the chips, or fries,
as you call them in America.
Not bad.
Not great.
As an American version goes,
I'm not sure it's quite there.
I think you need to come to Ireland
to try a proper fish and chips.
(upbeat music)
I'm worried about what this could even be.
Oh dear God.
I think Americans just know
how to use the color green.
Is it meant to be this thick?
Where did you even get green pancakes?
Lonking food coloring into something
and calling it Irish?
The Irish part of me is still somewhat skeptical.
I think it's time to try some.
Oh, there's layers.
Lucky Charms, and what looks like some sort of green pea.
Chewy, sweet, marshmallowy.
Why is it so thick?
Should there be grains in here?
Wow.
That's sugary.
I have no idea what's in here.
It kinda tastes like cereal milkshake that's green.
Nothing necessarily traditional Irish.
You could throw in a bit of whiskey and I'd be happy.
Never in my entire Irish life
have I had my tongue green.
That is the influence of America.
No less.
(upbeat music)
Ah, potato.
Probably the most stereotypical thing,
when it comes to Irish food,
we've a long, long history of potatoes.
There's lots of great ways to cook potatoes.
This particular dish has not celebrated any of those.
There's some kind of stringy hairs in it.
With little lumps in them.
I don't think that's ever part of the dish,
that I ever had.
Good attempt, I think?
We have moved on from just potatoes,
but actually, when it's a rainy day,
and I just want serious comfort,
it does come back to a nice mashed potato,
a bit of Irish stew,
lovely crispy potatoes on top.
I love potatoes.
Don't you?
Lucky Charms,
the most stereotypical Irish thing
you could possibly buy.
There's rainbows, pots of gold,
don't know what that is,
little peach or cherry,
and there's definitely none of those in Ireland.
This is a bowl of sunshine right there,
and a whole host of sugar, as well.
You can't buy them in Ireland.
If you ever saw Lucky Charms as a kid,
you were super excited.
You were drawn in by the sugar,
and drawn in by the neon colors.
You know what?
It's a bowl of sugar.
This is why it's appealing,
and I kinda like the little marshmallows.
As much as this is the most American version of Irish food,
I'm not opposed.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm, mm, mm.
Ireland has the most incredible food scene at the moment,
really great food producers,
amazing restaurants.
We're a small nation that has one day a year
that is celebrated by the world.
If the Americans decide they wanna paint everything green,
fill it with sugar,
and turn every milkshake in the land green,
I am on board.
Once it celebrates Ireland,
and spreads the word of how bloody brilliant we are,
I'm a happy man.
I think I might just go off into a corner,
and eat these by myself.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.
(whimsical music)