Q & A
Ken Doherty, Assassination Custard, Dublin 8
Asking questions on one topic is a way I’m approaching interviews. Its a informal way of extracting memories and a possible narrative in the interviewees answers.
If you could transport to anywhere to eat tripe where would it be?
For some reason basque tripe popped in to my head and it won’t go away. So being somewhere in Bilbao or San Sebastián eating some stomach would be mighty.
First time?
Watching my dad eat tripe with accompanying milk and onions was not the most auspicious starts. Looked revolting to my young eyes but couldn’t look away. Eventually I took a deep dive and tried it….the rest is history.
Favourite recipe:
This is tough. The sort of question that keeps me up at night.
A toss up between any of the Italian tripe dishes I have eaten (and later cooked in the restaurant) and Man and Wife Offal Slices, the now classic Sichuan dish, that once eaten is never forgotten.
Who and where has cooked the one you’ve enjoyed the most ?
(if more than one stands out please feel free to elaborate)
Wouldn’t argue about being in Rome (specifically in and around Testaccio) right now eating trippa all romana and Pajata etc….More close to home the Man and Wife Offal Slices from Lee’s Charming Noodles should be on some sort of protected list. And a morning spent eating cap I pota (with tripe) among other things, from Can Vilaro in Barcelona Is what I’d do if I had, well, only one more morning left.
Bad experiences?
Regarding bad experiences of tripe I can’t say we’ve had many that come to mind. A few possible overly funky versions. But that’s ok.
Which tripe would you choose to eat if there wasn’t beef?
As far as I know I haven’t eaten sheep tripe. Must fix that soon.
A rough guess at how many skeptics you have converted?
We are never really sure if we have converted any skeptics. All I can say is that when someone doesn’t like it they tell you.