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15th Dec 2023

American tourist sounds off about ‘problems in Ireland’ in lengthly Reddit thread

Fiona Frawley

The tourist outlined their grievances in a multi-point Reddit thread.

An American tourist has taken to Reddit to list their “perceived problems in Ireland” after a recent visit here, citing alcohol prices and drug addiction before insisting the post was “written for fun”.

After a two week stay, the number one annoyance on the Reddit user’s list was “children with broccoli fades and elf bars everywhere and in every pub”, closely followed by local drivers “being half way in my lane going 80kph on an old skinny bridge or curve”.

The tourist also referenced the price of booze, stating that a bottle of Jameson is smaller here than in the States (700ml vs 750ml), “and cost at least 5 to 10 € more per bottle”.

In a swipe that appears to have irritated Irish Reddit users more than any of the others, the tourist bemoaned the lack of spicy food here, writing: “Does spicy food exist in Ireland? The spiciest things I could find were either sweet Thai chili flavored or Frank’s redhot”.

Spices onsale at an Asian supermarket in Dublin

Finally, the tourist mentioned homelessness and drug addiction – an unusual addition to a post that was “not to be taken seriously at all”. They haphazardly reference seeing “the stray drunk or the occasional fake homeless beggar” alongside homeless people in Dublin, Cork, and Galway, adding that what bothered them the most was ” the amount of opioid or fentanyl users I witnessed”.

“This is a crippling epidemic in the states and it would be tragic for it to also take hold in such a beautiful country like Ireland”, the tourist wrote.

Image via Getty 

Fellow users have pointed out the issues with referencing homelessness and drug addiction on an allegedly unserious list about bland foods and teenager’s haircuts, with one writing:

“You can’t really talk about “a very serious issue” and then claim the people shouldn’t “take this post too seriously”, pick a side. Either laugh at the underage vaping scrotes in pubs or have a genuine point about the drug issue”.

Others have criticised the tourist for critiquing the food offerings without actively seeking out spicy foods, asking locals for recommendations or visiting supermarkets out of the city centre.

“Why not ask people what the spiciest food is, the best Irish food to try, where to get cheap whiskey and what we recommend, what the thoughts are on any drugs and homelessness problems, if city centre Dublin represents all of Ireland, where people do their grocery shopping etc?” one person wrote.

“We are open minded and talk about our problems but this has gross, incorrect, generalisations”, they added.

Header image via Getty 

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