James Silverton wrote:

>
> I think there is an apples/oranges comparison here. Peanut butter and
> jelly does not vary much and, as a sole diet would drive me up the wall.
> Pizza has many varieties and might keep interest somewhat longer and
> potatoes, as you say, can be prepared in many ways. A better comparison
> would be with the boiled potatoes that my Irish ancestors, perforce,
> managed to live on but I think I'd try to emigrate if I had to do that,
> as my ancestors did.
>



I have always read that the Irish emigrated because of a widespread
potato blight that resulted in "the great potato famine", not from a
surfeit of boiled potatoes.

gloria p

On Oct 29, 8:10*pm, "gloria.p" > wrote:
> James Silverton wrote:
>
> > I think there is an apples/oranges comparison here. Peanut butter and
> > jelly does not vary much and, as a sole diet would drive me up the wall..
> > Pizza has many varieties and might keep interest somewhat longer and
> > potatoes, as you say, can be prepared in many ways. A better comparison
> > would be with the boiled potatoes that my Irish ancestors, perforce,
> > managed to live on but I think I'd try to emigrate if I had to do that,
> > as my ancestors did.
>
> I have always read that the Irish emigrated because of a widespread
> potato blight that resulted in "the great potato famine", not from a
> surfeit of boiled potatoes.

The rich folks (English and their Irish underlings) were profiting
selling food back to Britain during the years of starvation. It's
easy to see how the IRA types would want to rid their island of the
British.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._gorta_Mor.jpg

Food tastes better when grown in soil fertilized by the blood of
oppressors.
>
> gloria p

--Bryan

On Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:10:17 -0600, gloria.p wrote:

> James Silverton wrote:
>
>>
>> I think there is an apples/oranges comparison here. Peanut butter and
>> jelly does not vary much and, as a sole diet would drive me up the wall.
>> Pizza has many varieties and might keep interest somewhat longer and
>> potatoes, as you say, can be prepared in many ways. A better comparison
>> would be with the boiled potatoes that my Irish ancestors, perforce,
>> managed to live on but I think I'd try to emigrate if I had to do that,
>> as my ancestors did.
>>
>
> I have always read that the Irish emigrated because of a widespread
> potato blight that resulted in "the great potato famine", not from a
> surfeit of boiled potatoes.
>
> gloria p

but if that's what you mostly eat, the blight hits you in a big way.

your pal,
blake

On 29/10/2010 9:10 PM, gloria.p wrote:
>>
> I have always read that the Irish emigrated because of a widespread
> potato blight that resulted in "the great potato famine", not from a
> surfeit of boiled potatoes.


That's the way I understand it too. They grew a lot of potatoes because
they could produce enough spuds to feed a family on a small plot of
land. Then the blight hit. Not only did their potatoes go bad, but they
had used up most of their garden space for this crop which had failed so
they had nothing else to fall back on. Meanwhile, the large farms had
enough to export, but the Irish could not afford it.

On Nov 4, 3:35*am, Dave Smith > wrote:
> On 29/10/2010 9:10 PM, gloria.p wrote:
> > I have always read that the Irish emigrated because of a widespread
> > potato blight that resulted in "the great potato famine", not from a
> > surfeit of boiled potatoes.
>
> That's the way I understand it too. They grew a lot of potatoes because
> they could produce enough spuds to feed a family on a small plot of
> land. Then the blight hit. Not only did their potatoes go bad, but they
> had used up most of their garden space for this crop which had failed so
> they had nothing else to fall back on. Meanwhile, the large farms had
> enough to export, but the Irish could not afford it.

Old Ireland was a great cattle-raising country. Later, English and
Anglo-Irish landlords needed the labourers but wanted to use the least
possible area of land to feed them, and potatoes were the answer. The
Irish became dependent on potatoes because they had no choice, not
particularly because they found them irrestistible.

LW