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A Talk with a Disney Legend: Joyce Carlson — Part III

In the final installment of his series, Jim Korkis wraps up his interview with this Disney veteran.

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20 years ago

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In the final installment of this three part series, Disney Legend Joyce Carlson talks some more about her time at WED. In these installments, I am reprinting the very first interview I did with Joyce Carlson in 1998. I also had the pleasure at the DISNEYANA 2000 convention which was dedicated to IT’S A SMALL WORLD to host a special presentation for conventioners about the creation of that attraction and as a surprise I invited Joyce to appear. I had previously arranged for Joyce to sign in gold ink a black and white photo of Walt riding through the attraction to give to all of those who attended. The interview was videotaped and concentrated primarily on IT’S A SMALL WORLD and perhaps one of these days if there is any interest, I should consider making copies available for sale to readers of JimHillMedia.

Jim: Did you get to go to the World’s Fair in 1964?

Joyce: Oh yeah, it was hot. Well, uh, everybody was going over from the main studio and we were the ones that worked on all the shows and put them together, Small World and y’know, all the shows, but everyone else was going over to New York and Walt would send them there for two to three days and they didn’t have anything to do with it, while we were the ones working on the shows. So Mary finally talked to Walt and said “their noses are being bent and you better send them over” So we got to go to New York for ten days. It was great. They put us in Queens, right by the Shay Stadium and Mary Blair lived out in Long Island so we used to go out and visit her. She would take us out there by the water and we had a grand time. We were there ten days and Walt gave us three hundred dollars. Boy, that was quite a bit in ’64. So, uh, I even had money when I came back.

Jim: What was the guests’ reaction of these rides?

Joyce: We had our VIP badges and we were the group tour girls and we’d see these lines of people waiting for Small World or alot of the shows and I’d want to go by quickly because it’s hot and little kids are crying and they would walk us right into the shows. Course, we had to fill out a folder every day, what shows we saw and what we went on and what we thought was a good idea, if we had any ideas for them, and Walt would read that book when we brought it home. That’s what we did every day and we would have to walk by all the guests waiting in line. It was just terrible. That was the only thing that bothered me. But, oh, we saw all the shows. That was great.

Jim: Most of these shows were brought back to Disneyland, were you involved in installing them into Disneyland?

Joyce: When we brought back Small World, we repainted, freshened it up and put it back in the show at Disneyland. That’s what we did, we put it back in. Most of the shows were put back in.

Jim: After the World’s Fair, what projects were you assigned to?

Joyce: Well, let’s see, I used to do alot of inking for Marc Davis for some of the shows that were coming into Disneyland and for Claude Coates, I’d do alot of inking. So the inking experiences had come in handy for some of the set pieces.

Jim: So this would have been Pirates and Haunted Mansion?

Joyce: Yes, that’s what I worked on, then Maggie came over and asked if I’d like to move to Florida and I said “sure” so I went over there in ’80. I was there for over a year and had a group of artists doing the toys for Small World for Tokyo. Then we finished and it happens to be some of the Japanese boys here today, that worked with me on the toys,they’re up in management now (laughs).

Jim: Did you work on all the Small World attractions?

Joyce: Disneyland, there was one brought from New York and then the one for Florida, I worked in Glendale for that one. And then, or course, Japan picked up our show here to put into Tokyo Disneyland

Jim: Aren’t there some differences in each Small World attractions?

Joyce: The one in Paris is a little different, it’s got new scenes, backgrounds, different toys and all. So, it is an entirely different show than the one here in Florida.

Jim: What type of qualities do you think an Imaginer should have?

Joyce: You’d have to be thinking of new ideas and if there’s a new project coming up, sit down and discuss alot of new ideas and who you’re going to work with and who can create this or that and put the show together, y’know. Alot of talent, get them going and let them share alot of ideas and use the best ones. That was what Walt would do.

Jim: Do you do alot of reading?

Joyce: I don’t read so much any more, but if there’s a certain project coming up, I’ll read about it and learn about what they want me to do. Like, uh, “America Sings.” I wish we had that show here in Florida. That was a good show.

Jim: What did you like about “America Sings?”

Joyce: I did all the hats, Seventy two hats, then my boss says “they’re gonna make another set of hats” and I say “there goes another year!” (laughs)

Jim: Some of those critters ended up in Splash Mountain. Are they wearing your hats?

Joyce: Some are, I guess. But they shouldn’t be out in the rain, because they’re just glue and water. They’ll go limp as an old rag. But the hats were all made of felt, glue and water and Marc Davis was the one that sketched them all and I had to paint them. You go down to California to get one of these hoods, where they make hats. You can’t get the color of the hood, because Marc dreams up these colors, y’know. Real nice, so I had to mix the colors. After they were hard and dried, I had like a bake shop outside the door and put them out there like cement. So I’d mix the colors, paint the hats, put the brim and crown together and go to Pick and Save to get all these flowers to put on the hats and Marc just loved them.

Shirley Temple even came through and she was the most wonderful person. She made you feel as if you’d known her for 100 years. She’d go over and pick up one of the straw hat’s I’d finished and she put it on her head and said “this reminds me of a neighbor when I was a little girl, who used to wear a hat like this.” And I thought “Oh, that’s cute” didn’t go with her dress at all, but she looked cute in it. She came back twice in one year and she was terrific. You just felt so at ease. But they introduced her as “Shirley Black” and I knew it was Shirley Temple. But anyway, she came back twice to look at the hats again, she was wonderful. I had some fond memories of the day I met her.

Jim: Did you have any project that you really liked or you found exceptionally difficult?

Joyce: Well, the one I really liked was Small World with Rolly Crump and Mary Blair. We started off using rubber bands with the dolls. It was primitive, but we used sheer style. Then, when we brought them back to Disneyland, we fixed them up a little better and put motors inside and improved the style. I liked Small World, all those toys.

Jim: What was Mary Blair really like?

Joyce: Oh she was wonderful, what a talent. I learned so much from her. She would let you design an animal for a certain scene, like in Africa for Small World, and would say “that’s great, we’ll use that and work it out.” But she worked flat, she didn’t have allot of dimension and she couldn’t do the facade at all. We’d just cut up alot of Styrofoam for her and she’d play around with it. Her paintings are all flat. She started to learn a little dimension toward the last, y’know. But her work is charming. I only have one book of hers, the Little Golden Book children’s book that she did. That’s what we used to help us understand her design afterwards. She was a wonderful talent.

Jim: I had heard you inked the little Mickey for one of the Ingersoll watches.

Joyce: The watch changed so over the years. They’ve got so many of them, but then, at that time, they wanted this little Mickey. Of course they would always give me the little stuff to ink. No wonder I can’t see today. But, I inked the Mickey. My boss said it was for Walt and I thought “Why’d you say that?! Now my lines are going to be all wiggly” and held my breath. But they used that Mickey on one of the Ingersoll watches.

Q: Was Walt a workaholic?

Joyce: Workaholic? Yeah, he was a workaholic. He was always coming up with ideas and working with the animators and people like Mary. Yeah, I could see him and Mary walking around the studio discussing a feature and Mary would do all the backgrounds at that time, that was before Small World. But he was a workaholic, alot of ideas he worked with the animators and the storymen……workaholic? Yes! (laughs).

Jim: Did you ever see Walt grumpy?

Joyce: Yes, I did. In our model shop at WED, he’d have a meeting and we’d have our desks all around the place and the model in the middle of the room. He was having a meeting with the big boys. Y’know, he was quite a smoker, but anyway, when he’d come into a room, you could hear him coughing and once you heard that, you’d know to be on your toes and best behavior because here he comes! (laughs)
But anyway, he’d come in and all the “yes” men would be around him and so he’d stand there and he was telling them what he wanted and if they weren’t agreeing or being as enthusiastic as he was or something, his voice got louder and louder and he wasn’t happy with them. So, all of a sudden, they disappeared but, uh, he got his way, I’m sure (laughs).
But, that’s the only time I ever saw him grumpy.

Jim: Thank you, Joyce.

Interviews are an important part of Disney and animation history although it is always important to remember that the interviewee may be mistaken about dates or sequence of events or may have been privy to only part of a project. If an interviewer dropped by your house today wanting to talk to you about what you ate for lunch twenty years ago or what was the favorite color of socks worn by your best friend in first grade, would you be able to share that information accurately if at all? However, interviews often give an additional piece of the puzzle or a different perspective that help us better understand the bigger picture. I am very glad that people like Michael Barrier recorded interviews with animators for decades. Michael Barrier’s FUNNYWORLD was the inspiration for many of us who got involved with animation history and I am very excited that he has established his own website (www.michaelbarrier.com) where he will be including some of the interviews he did in preparation for his outstanding but poorly publicized history of animation. Those readers who are Disney fans will especially enjoy the interview with David Hand, the supervising director of SNOW WHITE and BAMBI, which is more interesting and more revealing that Hand’s own book published in 1986, MEMOIRS.

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Jens Dahlmann of LongHorn Steakhouse has lots of great tips when it comes to grilling

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6 years ago

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July 4, 2017

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Sure, for some folks, the Fourth of July is all about fireworks. But for the 75% of all Americans who own a grill or a smoker, the Fourth is our Nation’s No. 1 holiday when it comes to grilling. Which is why 3 out of 4 of those folks will spend some time outside today working over a fire.

But here’s the thing: Though 14 million Americans can cook a steak with confidence because they actually grill something every week, the rest of us – because we use our grill or smoker so infrequently … Well, let’s just say that we have no chops when it comes to dealing with chops (pork, veal or otherwise).

So what’s a backyard chef supposed to in a situation like this when there’s so much at steak … er … stake? Turn to someone who really knows their way around a grill for advice. People like Jens Dahlmann, the Vice President and Corporate Executive Chef for Darden Restaurant’s LongHorn Steakhouse brand.

Given that Jens’ father & grandfather were chefs, this is a guy who literally grew up in a kitchen. In his teens & twenties, Dahlmann worked in hotels & restaurants all over Switzerland & Germany. Once he was classically trained in the culinary arts, Jens then  jumped ship. Well, started working on cruise ships, I mean.

Anyway … While working on Cunard’s Sea Goddess, Dahlmann met Sirio Maccioni, the founder of Le Cirque 2000. Sirio was so impressed with Jens’ skills in the kitchen that he offered him the opportunity to become sous-chef at this New York landmark. After four years of working in Manhattan, Dahlmann then headed south to become executive chef at Palm Beach’s prestigious Café L’Europe.

Jens Dahlmann back during his Disney World days

And once Jens began wowing foodies in Florida, it wasn’t all that long ’til the Mouse came a-calling. Mickey wanted Dahlmann to shake things up in the kitchen over at WDW’s Flying Fish Café. And he did such a good job with that Disney’s Boardwalk eatery the next thing Jens knew, he was then being asked to work his magic with the menu at the Contemporary Resort’s California Grill.

From there, Dahlmann had a relatively meteoric rise at the Mouse House. Once he became Epcot’s Food & Beverage general manager, it was only a matter of time before he wound up as the executive chef in charge of this theme park’s annual International Food & Wine Festival. Which – under Jens’ guidance – experienced some truly explosive growth.

“When I took on Food & Wine, that festival was only 35 days long and had gross revenues of just $5.5 million. When I left Disney in 2016, Food & Wine was now over 50 days long and that festival had gross revenues of $22 million,” Dahlmann admitted during a recent sit-down. “I honestly loved those 13 years I spent at Disney. When I was working there, I learned so much because I was really cooking for America.”

And it was exactly that sort of experience & expertise that Darden wanted to tap into when they lured Jens away from Mickey last year to become LongHorn Steakhouse’s new Vice President and Corporate Executive Chef. But today … Well, Dahlmann is offering tips to those of us who are thinking about cooking steak tips for the Fourth.

Photo by Jim Hill

“When you’re planning on grilling this holiday, if you’re looking for a successful result, the obvious place to start is with the quality of the meat you plan on cooking for your friends & family. If you want the best results here, don’t be cheap when you go shopping. Spend the money necessary for a fresh filet or a New York strip. Better yet a Ribeye, a nice thick one with good marbling. Because when you look at the marbling on a steak, that’s where all the flavor happens,” Jens explained. “That said, you always have to remember that — the higher you go with the quality of your meat — the less time you’re going to want that piece of meat to spend on the grill.”

And speaking of cooking … Before you even get started here, Jens suggests that you first take the time to check over all of your grilling equipment. Making sure that the grill itself is first scraped clean & then properly oiled before you then turn up the heat.

“If you’re working with a dirty grill, when you go to turn your meat, it may wind up sticking to the grill. Or maybe those spices that you’ve just so carefully coated your steak with will wind up sticking to the grill, rather than your meat,” Dahlmann continued. “Which is why it’s always worth it to spend a few minutes prior to firing up your grill properly cleaning & oiling it.”

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of heat … Again, before you officially get started grilling here, Jens says that it’s crucial to check your temperature gauges. Make sure that your char grill is set at 550 (so that it can then properly handle the thicker cuts of meat) and your flattop is set at 425 (so it can properly sear thinner pieces of meat).

Okay. Once you’ve bought the right cuts of quality meat, properly cleaned & oiled your grill, and then made sure that everything’s set at the right temperature (“If you can only stand to hold your hand directly over the grill for two or three seconds, that’s the right amount of heat,” Dahlmann said), it’s now time to season your steaks.

“Don’t be afraid to be bold here. You can’t be shy when it comes to seasoning your meat. You want to give it a nice coating. Largely because — if you’re using a char grill — a lot of that seasoning is just going to fall off anyway,” Jens stated. “It’s up to you to decide what sort of seasoning you want to use here. Even just some salt & pepper will enhance a steak’s flavor.”

Then – according to Dahlmann – comes the really tough part. Which is placing your meat on the grill and then fighting the urge to flip it too early or too often.

“The biggest mistake that a lot of amateur cooks make is that they flip the steak too many times. The real key to a well-cooked piece of meat is just let it be, “Jens insisted. “Of course, if you’re serving different cuts of meat at your Fourth of July feast, you always want to put your biggest thickest steak on the grill first. If you’re also cooking a New York Strip, you want to put that one on a few minutes later. But after that, just let the grill do its job and flip your meat a total of three or four times, once every three minutes or so.”

Of course, the last thing you want to do is overcook a quality piece of meat. Which is why Dahlmann suggests that – when it comes to grilling steaks – if you’re going to err, err on the side of undercooking.

“You can always put a piece of meat back on the grill if it’s slightly undercooked. When you over-cook something, all you can do then is start over with a brand-new piece of meat,” Jens said. “Just be sure that you’re using the correct cut of meat for the cooking result you’re aiming for. If someone wants a rare or medium rare steak, you should go with a thicker cut of steak. If one of your guests wants their steak cooked medium or well, it’s best to start with a thinner cut of meat.”

Photo by Jim Hill

As you can see, the folks at Longhorn take grilling steaks seriously. How seriously? Just last week at Darden Corporate Headquarters in Orlando, seven of these brand’s top grill masters (who – after weeks of regional competitions – had been culled from the 491 restaurants that make up this chain) competed for a $10,000 prize in the Company’s second annual Steak Master Series. And Dahlmann was one of the people who stood in Darden’s test kitchens, watching like a hawk as each of the contestants struggled to prepare six different dishes in just 20 minutes according to Longhorn Steakhouse’s exacting standards.

“I love that Darden does this. Recognizing the best of the best who work this restaurant,” Jens concluded. “We have a lot of people here who are incredibly knowledgeable & passionate when it comes to grilling.”

Speaking of which … If today’s story doesn’t include the exact piece of info that you need to properly grill that T-bone, just whip out your iPhone & text GRILL to 55702. Or – better yet – visit  ExpertGriller.com prior to firing up your grill or smoker later today. 

This article was originally published by the Huffington Post on Tuesday, July 4, 2017

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Brattleboro’s Strolling of the Heifers is a sincere if somewhat surreal way to spend a summer’s day in Vermont

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6 years ago

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June 4, 2017

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Some people travel halfway ‘around the planet so that they can then experience the excitement of the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. If you’re more of a Slow Living enthusiast (as I am), then perhaps you should amble to Brattleboro, VT. Where – over the first weekend in June – you can then join a herd of cow enthusiasts at the annual Strolling of the Heifers.

Now in its 16th year, this three-day long event typically gets underway on Friday night in June with a combination block party / gallery walk. But then – come Saturday morning – Main Street in Brattleboro is lined with thousands of bovine fans.

Photo by Jim Hill

They’ve staked out primo viewing spots and set up camp chairs hours ahead of time. Just so these folks can then have a front row seat as this year’s crop of calves (which all come from local farms & 4-H clubs) are paraded through the streets.

Photo by Jim Hill

Viewed from curbside, Strolling of the Heifers is kind of this weird melding of a sincere small town celebration and Pasadena’s Doo Dah Parade. Meaning that – for every entry that actually acknowledged this year’s theme (i.e. “Dance to the Moosic”) — …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there was something completely random, like this parade’s synchronized shopping cart unit.

Photo by Jim Hill

And for every piece of authentic Americana (EX: That collection of antique John Deere tractors that came chugging through the city) …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there was something silly. Like – say – a woman dressed as a Holstein pushing a baby stroller through the streets. And riding in that stroller was a pig dressed in a tutu.

Photo by Jim Hill

And given that this event was being staged in the Green Mountain State & all … Well, does it really surprise you to learn that — among the groups that marched in this year’s Strolling of the Heifers – was a group of eco-friendly folks who, with their  chants of “We’re Number One !,” tried to persuade people along the parade route not to flush the toilet after they pee. Because – as it turns out – urine can be turned into fertilizer.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of fertilizer … At the tail end of the parade, there was a group of dedicated volunteers who were dealing with what came out of the tail end of all those cows.

Photo by Jim Hill

This year’s Strolling of the Heifers concluded at the Brattleboro town common. Where event attendees could then get a closer look at some of the featured units in this year’s parade…

Photo by Jim Hill

… or perhaps even pet a few of the participants.

Photo by Jim Hill

But as for the 90+ calves who took part in the 2017 edition of Strolling of the Heifers, once they reached the town common, it was now time for a nosh or a nap.

Photo by Jim Hill

Elsewhere on the common, keeping with this year’s “Dance to the Moosic” theme, various musical groups performed in & around the gazebo throughout the afternoon.

Photo by Jim Hill

While just across the way – keeping with Brattleboro’s tradition of showcasing the various artisans who live & work in the local community – some pretty funky pieces were on display at the Slow Living Exposition.

Photo by Jim Hill

All in all, attending Strolling of the Heifers is a somewhat surreal but still very pleasant way to spend a summer’s day in Vermont. And that’s no bull.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, that could be a bull. To be honest, what with the wig & all, it’s kind of hard to tell. 

This article was originally published by the Huffington Post on Sunday, June 4, 2017

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Looking to make an authentic Irish meal for Saint Patrick’s Day? If so, then chef Kevin Dundon says not to cook corned beef & cabbage

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March 17, 2017

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Let’s at least start on a positive note: Celebrated chef, author & TV personality Kevin Dundon – the man that Tourism Ireland has repeatedly chosen as the Face of Irish Food – loves a lot of what happens in the United States on March 17th.

“I mean, look at what they do in Chicago on Saint Patrick’s Day. They toss all of this vegetable-based dye into the Chicago River and then paint it green for a day. That’s terrific,” Kevin said.

But then when it comes to what many Americans eat & drink on St. Paddy’s Day (i.e., a big plate of corned beef and cabbage. Which is then washed down with a mug of green beer) … Well, that’s where Dundon has to draw the line.

Irish celebrity chef Kevin Dundon displays a traditional Irish loin of bacon with Colcannon potatoes and a Dunbrody Kiss chocolate dessert. Photo by Tom Burton. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

“Green beer? No real Irishman would be caught dead drinking that stuff,” Kevin insists. “And as for eating corned beef & cabbage … That’s not actually authentic Irish fare either. Bacon and cabbage? Sure. But corned beef & cabbage was something that the Irish only began eating after they’d come to the States to escape the Famine. And even then these Irish-Americans only began serving corned beef & cabbage to their friends & family because they had to make do with the ingredients that were available to them at that time.”

And thus begins the strange tale of how corned beef & cabbage came to be associated with the North American celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. Because – according to Dundon – beef just wasn’t all that big a part of the Irish diet back in the 19th century.

To explain: Back in the Old Country, cattle – while they were obviously highly prized for the milk & cheese that they produced – were also beasts of burden. Meaning that they were often used for ploughing the fields or for hauling heavy loads. Which is why – back then — these animals were rarely slaughtered when they were still young & healthy. If anything, land owners liked to put a herd of cattle on display out in one of their pastures because that was then a sign to their neighbors that this farm was prosperous.

“Whereas pork … Well, everybody raised pigs back then. Which is why pork was a staple of the Irish diet rather than beef,” Dundon continued.

So if that’s what people actually ate back in the Old Country, how then did corned beef & cabbage come to be so strongly associated with Saint Patrick’s Day in the States.? That largely had to do with where the Irish wound up living after they arrived in the New World.

“When the Irish first arrived in America following the Great Famine, a lot of them wound up living in the inner city right alongside the Germans & the Jews, who were also recent immigrants to the States. And while that farm-fresh pork that the Irish loved wasn’t readily available, there was brisket. Which the Irish could then cure by first covering this piece of meat with corn kernel-sized pieces of rock salt – that’s how it came to be called corned beef. Because of the sizes of the pieces of rock salt that were used in the curing process – and then placing all that in a pot of water with other spices to soak for a few days.”

And as for the cabbage portion of corned beef & cabbage … Well, according to Kevin, in addition to buying their meat from the kosher delis in their neighborhood, the Irish would also frequent the stores that the German community shopped in. Where – thanks to their love of sauerkraut (i.e., pickled cabbage) – there was always a ready supply of cabbage to be had.

“So when you get right down to it, it was the American melting pot that led to corned beef & cabbage being found in the Irish-American cooking pot,” Dundon continued. “Since they couldn’t find or didn’t have easy access to the exact same ingredients that they had back in Ireland, Irish-Americans made do with what they could find in the immediate vicinity. And what they made was admittedly tasty. But it’s not actually authentic Irish fare.”

Mind you, what Kevin serves at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at Disney Springs (which – FYI – Orlando Magazine voted as the area’s best restaurant back in 2014) is nothing if not authentic. Dundon and his team at this acclaimed gastropub pride themselves on making traditional Irish fare and then contemporized it.

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

“Take – for example – what we serve here instead of corned beef & cabbage. Again, because it was pork – rather than beef – that was the true staple of the Irish diet back then, what we offer instead is a loin of bacon that has been glazed with Irish Mist. That then comes with colcannon potatoes. Which is this traditional Irish dish that’s made up of mashed potato that have had some cabbage & bacon mixed through it,” Kevin enthused. “This heavenly ham – that’s what we actually call this traditional Irish dish at Raglan Road, Kevin’s Heavenly Ham – also includes some savory cabbage with a parsley cream sauce as well as a raisin cider jus. It’s simple food. But because of the basic ingredients – and that’s the real secret of Irish cuisine. That our ingredients are so strong – the flavors just pop off the plate.”

Which brings us to the real challenge that Dundon and the Raglan Road team face every day. Making sure that they actually have all of the ingredients necessary to make this traditional-yet-contemporized Irish fare to those folks who frequent this Walt Disney World favorite.

“Take – for example – the fish we serve here. We only used cold water fish. Salmon, mussels and haddock that have been hauled out of the Atlantic, the ocean that America and Ireland share,” Kevin stated. “Not that there’s anything wrong with warm water fish. It’s just that … Well, it doesn’t have the same structure. It’s a softer fish, which doesn’t really fit the parameters of Irish cuisine. And if you’re going to serve authentic food, you have to be this dedicated when it comes to sourcing your ingredients.

Copyright Mitchell Beazley. All rights reserved

And if you’re thinking of perhaps trying to serve an authentic Irish meal this year, rather than once again serving corned beef & cabbage at your Saint Patrick’s Day Feast … Well, back in September of last year, Mitchell Beazley published “The Raglan Road Cookbook: Inside America’s Favorite Irish Pub.” This 296-page hardcover not only includes the recipe for Kevin’s Heavenly Ham but also it tells the tale of how this now-world-renown restaurant wound up being built in Orlando.

On the other hand, if you happen to have to the luck of the Irish and are actually down at The Walt Disney World Resort right now, it’s worth noting that Raglan Road is right in the middle of its Mighty St. Patrick’s Day Festival. This four day-long event – which includes Irish bands and professional dancers – stretches through Sunday night. And in addition to all that authentic Irish fare that Dundon and his team are cooking up, you also sample the fine selection of beers & cocktails that this establishment’s four distinct antique bars (each of which are more than 130 years old and were imported directly from Ireland) will be serving. Just – As ucht Dé (That’s “For God’s Sake” in Gaelic) – don’t make the mistake of asking the bartender there for a mug of green beer.

“Why would anyone willingly drink something like that?,” Dundon laughed. “I mean, just imagine what their washroom will look like the morning after.”

This article was originally published by the Huffington Post on Friday, March 17, 2017

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