Regional Interview: I guess if I were in your position, I would ask the interviewer whether the ATIS crosswind included gusts ? If 34 kts did not include gusts, then I would be busting the limits by taking off anyway. If it included gusts, then what was the mean x-crosswind ? If this was beyond your personal capability or experience, I would request to depart on a more into-wind runway or just wait it out if it was associated with say an advancing thunderstorm. I think the interviewer was asking you to think outside the box rather than concentrate whether a 34 kt x-wind was outside legal limits.
My 2 cents worth.