Spice Bags

May 12 2023 54 ep. 73

Spice Bags Podcast artwork

Sometimes the clearest way to see yourself is through a foreigner's eyes. Named after everyone's favorite Chinese-Irish deep-fried drunk snack, Spice Bags is a podcast about food in Ireland and beyond. Multi-cultural hosts Blanca, Mei and Dee--a Spanish food researcher, a Chinese American writer, and an Irish writer and editor--ask questions like: How did one enterprising Indian expat create a market for Indian cuisine in Dublin? Why are so many Irish cheeses made by women? Why is Irish tea different from that in the rest of the world? We also talk to the immigrants who are shaping the new Irish culinary scene. Find answers, laughs and interviews with Ireland's most interesting chefs and authors here. Spice Bags is part of the HeadStuff Podcast Network (https://www.headstuff.org/spice-bags)

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S4 Ep12: Our Swan Song

May 12 2023 43 mins

After four wonderful years of episodes, we at Spice Bags are bowing out. While we do announce this with a heavy heart, we – Blanca, Dee, and Mei – wish to end on a high after publishing our very own cookbook Blasta Books 5: Soup, and at a moment when we are still passionate about the issues Spice Bags has uncovered, and the individuals we have befriended. In this final episode

S4 Ep11: Fast Food

Apr 06 2023 60 mins

While Dee and Mei have bonded about their passion about fast food over the years, it was a surprise that our elegant Blanca nurses a passion for White Castle and corn dogs. What is fast food? Is it simply chains like McDonalds, Super Macs, and Burger King? Or does fast food also encompass street food stalls, where generations of families have perfected one dish, which – as it i

S4 Ep10: Talking Nigeria with Emi and Victory

Mar 09 2023 58 mins

Nigeria is a complex place, in terms of food, history, geography, and its three hundred plus ethnicities. Edizemi Onilenla, or Emi, founder of the culinary brand Mama Shee, grew up in Nigeria. Victory Nwabu-Ekeoma, founder of Bia! Zine is from Dundalk. Emi is Yoruba, and Victory is Igbo. Emi says, ‘every tribe has its own vegetable.’ Emi came to Ireland as a social worker and t

S4 Ep9: Asturias: A conversation with Ali Dunworth and Blanca Valencia.

Feb 20 2023 57 mins

Journalist Ali Dunworth and Blanca talk about their recent trip to the Asturias region in Spain, where they were pampered with cider, veal, cheese, and conservas. Oviedo, the capital, is on the Camino Norte, the famous pilgrim walk that winds its way through the north of Spain. Listen to them as they chat about cider, which ranges from a champagne-like fizz to an uncarbonated brew

S4 Ep8: Chatting with Kristin Jensen & Blasta Books #5 SOUP

Feb 01 2023 51 mins

We talk to American-born editor, writer, and publisher, Kristin Jensen, who has had quite the year. Founder of Blasta Books and Nine Bean Rows Books, as well as the long-form magazine Scoop magazine (helmed by our own Dee Laffan), Kristin has been shaking things up on the Irish food scene. Her first endeavour, Tacos, written by our friend and guest Lily Ramirez, attracted internati

S4 Ep7: Welcoming Lunar New Year the K-Way with Gunmoo Kim & Soonie Delap

Jan 19 2023 45 mins

Welcoming Lunar New Year the K-Way with Gunmoo Kim & Soonie Delap South Korea is a country that is a pioneer of pop music, cinema, television, fashion, and cuisine. In this episode, we talk to Gunmoo Kim and Soonie Delap as they reminisce about the Korean Lunar New Year. Our guests are from different generations and backgrounds. Gunmoo came to Ireland in 2010, founded Jaru, a f

S4 Ep6: Spice Bags Xmas Special with Chris & Marcus from That’s Bangin’

Dec 27 2022 45 mins

In our Spice Bags Christmas Special Episode, we celebrate with Marcus O’Laoire, DJ, chef and owner of D8 pubs Anti-Social and Jackie’s, and Chris Mellon of Blackberry Café and creator of Dublin Social. Marcus and Chris are also the co-hosts of the award-winning HeadStuff podcast That’s Bangin’, which makes them friends, colleagues, and occasional rivals! We are all from

S4 Ep5: Talking Malaysia with Vik Siva Subramaniam and Sham Hanifa

Dec 14 2022 63 mins

Shamzuri (Sham) Hanifa, is a beloved denizen of the Irish food scene. Based in Leitrim, he is the award-winning chef and owner of the Cottage Restaurant, Buffalo Boy, and Chef Sham Sauces. His new restaurant, My Kitchen, will also feature cooking classes. Vikkineshwaran (Vik) Siva Subramaniam is a medical doctor and surgeon whose South Indian father founded Babas, the leading spice

S4 Ep4: Let Us Eat Cake!

Dec 01 2022 39 mins

Cake is more decadent than brioche or stollen, in that it is leavened with eggs, enriched with butter, and sweetened with sugar. To quote Nicola Humble, author of Cakes, A Global History: “Cakes are very strange things, producing a range of emotional responses far out of keeping with their culinary significance.” The idea of cake opens many questions. Did the ancient Romans, wh

S4 Ep3: LIVE at Samhain Festival 2022 with Allen & Lorena Krause of Killua Castle

Nov 15 2022 53 mins

Blanca, Dee and Mei recorded this special live episode in Kells Courthouse, Tourism and Cultural Hub at Samhain Festival 2022 – Celebrating 5,000 years of Food and Culture. Samhain is such a special time of year and the ladies were delighted to be invited to be a part of the festival in County Meath celebrating it and highlighting incredible Boyne Valley food and drink. They