In the boom years, food became Flash Paddy's greatest status symbol. Why? Why did food and where it came from matter so little? When did the nation that was married to the land lose its inner culchie? This is the first book in Ireland to talk about where food really comes from, who decides what is bought and what it says about the nation. It encompasses everything from take away pizza to Irish farmhouse cheese and everything in between: the land, the farmers, producers, suppliers and supermarkets. The authors argue that in the rush to become urban, cosmopolitan and economically progressive, Ireland has forgotten what it was once are really good at: food and farming. ""Basket Case"" examines the seismic shifts taking place in Ireland.