I am reading Calvin Trillin’s "Feeding a Yen," and am thoroughly enjoying it. Throughout the book of essays, which revolve around food, family and travel, he refers to his "Register of Frustration and Deprivation" when to comes to certain food that he can only find in certain places, like pan bagnat in Nice or pimientos de padron in Galacia. I am not even half way through this book, yet I’ve been so inspired by it that last night I dreamed of Guinness Stout. Not the kind you get here in the United States, but the Guinness you can only get in Ireland. In Ireland the stout doesn’t get pasteurized and it leaves a smoother and darker flavor than it’s bitter U.S. version, which, by the way, I will happily drink any case. But it leaves me longing for a certain pub in Galway, the scent of wet wool and peat, and the days my husband and I could actually go out and about without first having to consider a babysitter. Without all of the other memories attached, unpasteurized Guinness is still by far the best stout flavor out there. And believe me, I have tried to find a counterpart. One that has come quite close is Sam Adams Cream Stout. Unfortunately, since moving to the Shenandoah Valley, I have not been able to find a place that carries it. Talk about the Register of Frustration and Deprivation!
