Damian McNicholl seems like your average meat-and-potatoes guy on the surface. But having grown up in the religiously embattled city of Ulster in Northern Ireland, the 45-year-old gay emigrant poignantly expresses his deep personal feelings about the experience through an alter-ego character that is the subject of a newly released novel, A Son Called Gabriel (CDS Books).

Where the book leaves off in depicting the saga of a gay man maturing in the face of social and religious oppression (plus some rather dramatic family secrets), the author picks up with real-life memories of the culinary traditions he left behind since arriving in the U.S. in 1992.

McNicholl, who is also an attorney, resides in Pennsylvania with his domestic partner of 12 years. His gallant brogue remains intact, along with a firm belief that the U.S. offers an easier lifestyle for gay people than in his native Northern Ireland. Yet the meals that his “mum” prepared, he admits, still tug at his heartstrings.

The Gay & Lesbian Times caught up with McNicholl before his West coast book tour begins to discuss the myths and facts behind Irish cooking. The tour includes a stop at Celebrity Books in Palm Springs at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 2. Other regional appearances, including San Diego, might be added to the itinerary, which will be updated throughout the summer on the book’s website. Visit this article online at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link.

Gay & Lesbian Times: Did food serve as an escape from the harsh realities you endured while growing up in Northern Ireland?

Damian McNicholl: Dinner was always eaten as a family at the table without TV. I regarded the meals more as part of the culture. They were always fresh. My mum shopped at the local butcher each week; stocked up on milk and cheeses in between; and baked her own breads.

GLT: What were some of the common meals you ate?

DM: Always a meat, vegetable and potato – which was cooked in many forms such as chips, mashed or roasted. Meats were generally stewing steak or thick slices of Irish bacon. We also ate mashed turnips or fried cabbage with lots of butter. Fridays was always fish because of the Catholic aspect. But when I didn’t want to eat fish, my mum instead prepared an eggnog, which in Ireland is a type of curdled eggs with milk and butter.

GLT: Did you partake in the cooking process at home?

DM: No. We were a traditional family in that the chores were divided down male-female roles among my two brothers and two sisters. The boys, however, would generally do the washing and drying of the dishes.

GLT: What were your favorite and least-favorite meals in Ireland?

DM: Roast lamb and stuffed turkey were my favorites. But I didn’t particularly care for smoked fried fish, or the manufactured hamburger patties, which are kind of grizzly compared to here.

GLT: Was the food scene in the U.S. a shock to your senses when you came to the U.S.?

DM: Yes. I couldn’t believe the size of the portions. They seemed enormous to me. I remember ordering a steak – and what arrived I would have divided into three meals back in Ireland. But I really love the pork ribs and the many styles of canned baked beans here, which I never had growing up in Ireland.

GLT: Are the foods that Americans eat during St. Patrick’s Day similar to those back home?

DM: They’re not Irish here, except for the Cocannon, which is kale and potatoes all champed up. It wasn’t until I came to the U.S. that I first ate corned beef. I was quite astonished.

GLT: What are some of the foods you must eat when visiting Ireland these days? And how does the gay scene differ there compared to here?

DM: I always eat the grilled sausages, Irish bacon and the cheddar cheese, which I love with wheaten bread. Today there are gay nightclubs and bathhouses, but homosexuality is still looked down upon by the Northern Irish mentality.

GLT: Have you found any restaurants in the U.S. that serve authentic Irish fare?

DM: Yes. I was recently taken by my publisher for a meeting at an old Irish pub in lower Manhattan called Molly’s. It’s a dark, gloomy hole in the wall where I ate traditional sausages and mashed potatoes made with Irish-style cream butter. And since I don’t like the mass-produced American beer, I had a Harp on draft.