Five Things Leopold Bloom Eats and Drinks in ULYSSES

June 16, 1904 is the date on which all of the events of James Joyce's ULYSSES take place, as Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus move around Dublin and cross paths over the course of the day.

Leopold Bloom is a man of appetites, and Joyce tells us a lot about what Bloom eats and drinks. I've been to Ulysses-related events that feature several of these items, which may not appeal to American tastes.

1. Pork Kidney. Bloom starts his day with a visit to Dlugacz's butcher shop, where he spends threepence on a "moist tender gland" that he carries home in his pocket. He burns it slightly in the cooking, but enjoys it thoroughly anyway: "Done to a turn."

2. Gorgonzola Sandwich. Bloom stops off for lunch at Davy Byrne's, a "moral pub," and orders "A cheese sandwich . . . Gorgonzola," which he cuts into strips and eats with mustard. He eats "with relish of disgust, pungent mustard, the feety savour of green cheese."

3. Fried cods' roes. At a lonely dinner at the Ormond Hotel, where Bloom watches his wife's presumed lover, Blazes Boylan, from across the room, Bloom eats "with relish the inner organs, nutty gizzards, fried cods' roes," while his companions eat steak and kidney pie.

4. Cider. While Bloom has burgundy at lunch, he drinks cider for dinner, which upsets his stomach and mixes uneasily with whatever he drinks later in the evening. The combination causes hallucinations in the "Oxen of the Sun" episode.

5. Cocoa with cream. At the end of the day, Bloom brings Stephen Dedalus back to his home, where he makes instant cocoa — "two level spoonfuls, four in all, of Epps's soluble cocoa" — and tops it up with Molly's precious breakfast cream.

In honor of the day, I actually went out and bought a wedge of gorgonzola, and will have it with some red wine for dinner. Happy Bloomsday.