Tales O'toole

and memorabilia

Early in 1999, Jim O'toole was honored by the House and Senate of the Virginia General Assembly as the eponymous founder of O'toole's Restaurant. In other words, he gave the place his name.

In doing so they acknowledged that the fame of the establishment was due to his skill as both a restaurateur and raconteur. He deserved the recognition, particularly the 'raconteur' part for he was truly adept at relating an anecdote in a most interesting manner.

Jim believed that truth could be the ruination of a good story and never let it interfere with the telling of a tale.

Here are some of his observations.

A common misconception is that 'stir-fry' is of Asiatic origin. That is not true.

This method of cooking was perfected in Ireland and taken to the Far East by that famous Irishman, Marc O'Polo.

Whiskey is the curse of the Irish. It was created to keep them from taking over the world.

'Blarney' can best be defined as the Irishman's ability to tell a man the "go to hell" in such a manner as to make him look forward to the trip.

Sheep are very common in Ireland and the Irish have had considerable success using mutton and lamb in the development of their cuisine.

Irish stew is a good example.

But probably the most important dish of all derived from the use of sheep is that international favorite; Leg O'Lamb.

Quite possibly the English word "hello" is derived from an Irish expression used when it is first noted that an unexpected guest is about to knock on the door.

The expression is "O'Hell."

Ireland has longed been plagued by economic difficulties. In an effort to generate income for overcoming their problems, over the years, they have developed a number of products for foreign consumption.

One product that has been very successful and even pirated by other countries is 'Patty O'Furniture.'

Although is not generally known: Halloween originated in Ireland.

The purpose of the holiday is to honor that well known Irishman, Jack O'Lantern.