{"id":507198,"date":"2026-06-19T02:50:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T02:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/507198\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T02:50:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T02:50:23","slug":"russ-parsons-after-40-years-of-writing-about-food-im-no-longer-as-excited-about-it-as-i-once-was-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/507198\/","title":{"rendered":"Russ Parsons: After 40 years of writing about food I\u2019m no longer as excited about it as I once was \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leaving a dream job is never easy. I know because I\u2019ve done it twice. The first time was when I retired as food<\/a> editor and columnist for the Los Angeles<\/a> Times after more than 25 years. At that time, I thought I was done with writing about cooking \u2013 much as I had enjoyed doing it \u2013 and was ready for new adventures, which included moving to Ireland<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But fate had other ideas and in a remarkable stroke of good fortune, much to my surprise, I was asked to join The Irish Times food team as a regular columnist. Though I came to Ireland with no intention of continuing to write about food, the opportunity to write for a newspaper I had long admired was irresistible. <\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s somehow suddenly six years later. And this time maybe my retirement is for good. <\/p>\n

My leaving certainly has nothing to do with the newspaper, which continues to be a model for modern journalism with such a great complement of talented writers (and paying for itself with just online subscriptions!). <\/p>\n

I\u2019ll paraphrase the famous break-up line, \u201cit\u2019s not them, it\u2019s me.\u201d After 40 years of writing about food (and more than 50 years in newspapers), I find I\u2019m no longer as excited about the next assignment as I once was. <\/p>\n

And, more importantly, I think it\u2019s time to give that chance to someone who still feels that excitement. Talking to another old fogey recently, the conversation turned to how hard it is for young journalists today, and while thinking about that, I realised I had a chance to help, just by getting out of the way. <\/p>\n

The food world today is immeasurably different from when I started. It\u2019s actually shocking to think back to those times. If I wanted fresh herbs other than parsley, I had to grow them. I had to make a deal with my local produce guy that during the two weeks fresh red bell peppers were available, he\u2019d save me a case, which I\u2019d roast, peel and freeze to last the rest of the year. All cheese was orange and came in blocks. <\/p>\n

Pioneer days indeed. My neighbourhood Tesco and SuperValu supermarkets today would have been regarded as legendary gourmet paradises back then. <\/p>\n

But just as much as has changed, some things have remained the same. The essential truth of good cooking is, as it ever was, that the best way to become a better cook is to know how to choose better ingredients. <\/p>\n

Though that is just as true in the professional kitchen, I\u2019m specifically talking about home cooking here. While I enjoy great restaurant meals and admire the chefs who create them, my writing has always been based around the idea that good food is something that should be enjoyed every day, not just on the occasional splurge. <\/p>\n

The importance of great ingredients was brought home to me in the 1980s and early 1990s, when part of my job was visiting a different California farmers\u2019 market every week. Spending time with good farmers and tasting the difference their work made was eye-opening. <\/p>\n

I vividly remember roasting beets from a local farmer, dressing them just with good olive oil and a spritz of balsamic vinegar and serving them with shaved Pecorino Romano cheese and their blanched greens (why are beet greens not appreciated here in Ireland? They\u2019re delicious). So simple, but it would be hard to find anything better. <\/p>\n

I admit that at times I could get carried away. I confess to once or twice serving my guests a single perfect peach for dessert. But honestly, those peaches \u2013 grown just up the highway \u2013 were so good they made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. <\/p>\n

Eventually I conceded that maybe a sugar cookie on the side would not detract from the fruit. But the very idea of cutting up those peaches and cooking them still makes me shudder. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Ireland is a cabbage wonderland: take it from this blow-in chefOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Look, sure, I recognise Ireland is not California. California is blessed with almost perfect weather for growing fruits and vegetables. Ireland, well, is not \u2013 especially after that last winter. When some Irish farmers were hoping the ground is dry enough to get ready for the first planting, in California some of them were well into their second harvest. <\/p>\n

\"RussRuss Parsons at home in Waterford. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t change that essential truth. Starting with the best ingredients you can buy makes cooking so much easier. <\/p>\n

After nearly seven years of cooking in Ireland, I\u2019m more convinced of that than ever. Granted, that narrows our choices pretty considerably, and there are times that I do miss the variety that I enjoyed in California (and I do still wish more Irish farmers would broaden their offerings \u2013 maybe more hardy greens and winter fruits other than apples). <\/p>\n

But learning to make do with what I can find and to \u201ccolour within the lines\u201d of Irish seasonality has made me a better cook. <\/p>\n

First of all, as I\u2019ve often repeated, our meat, cheese and seafood are the equals of anywhere. And humble as they may seem, one shouldn\u2019t overlook the pleasures of cabbages, leeks, root vegetables, and potatoes, to say nothing of apples, rhubarb, wild blackberries, and in-season strawberries. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0The story behind roadside strawberry stands \u2013 one of the heralds of Irish summerOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

It has been my great good fortune to be able to meet many of the talented folks around Ireland who create these wonderful ingredients and to share my excitement about them with you. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s no exaggeration to say that my being included in these pages has transformed my Irish experience. It has been both a pleasure and an honour. How much smaller my world would be today if I hadn\u2019t had this opportunity. <\/p>\n

But now it\u2019s time to give someone else a chance. I just hope they can have half as much fun as I have had. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leaving a dream job is never easy. I know because I\u2019ve done it twice. The first time was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,13355,61,60,116],"class_list":["post-507198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-food-production","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-los-angeles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}