October 10, 2004 - page 2



I had seen several Italian restaurants near my house and many of the customary symbols of food globalization, such as McDonalds and Subway. And since I first arrived, I knew that pizza was popular here because there’s a pizzeria on nearly every street corner. Still, the local tradition finds a way

into all these foreign eateries – no matter where you go, Irish coffee (with Bailey’s Irish cream) is always on the menu!

My last find of the week was the Belfast Zoo. Who would have thought that you could find jungle animals in the frigid climate of Northern Ireland? They make it work with both indoor and outdoor exhibits that simulate different climates, like steamy rainforests and arid deserts. The zoo is actually situated on a mountainside, so a steep slope runs all the way to the top. You can actually feel the pressure change just
as if you were ascending in an airplane. Marie and I thought some of the animals had escaped from their cages, but we were surprised to learn that many of them are allowed to
just roam around without cages. A family of lemurs were quite friendly and allowed us to pet them. I wondered if anyone would notice if I just took one of the baby lemurs home with me.

Belfast is certainly an interesting place—a fascinating mix of modernity and tradition, of global connectedness and local homeliness. I get the feeling that this is an odd mixture, with lots of history behind it, and I’m sure many more surprises are waiting for me in the next few weeks.