Hatrack River Forum: Fish And Chips Goodness

This is topic Fish And Chips Goodness in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by JumboWumbo (Member # 10047) on :

Unfortunately, I have yet to experience the "Fish and Chips Goodness" myself. I know I know, you're thinking I'm a deprived human being and should rot in the corners of an abandoned mortuary until the end my days in completely misery and solace; I was thinking that too. But worry not, it's my New Year's resolution to have this highly acclaimed delicacy sometime in the relative future.

Any other rare (not to say fish and chips are rare) foods I ought to try?

Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :

What England calls "fish n chips", we call "Long John Silvers."

Don't get too disappointed when you find the real stuff.

-Trevor

Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :

Wattalapam. [Smile]

And mangosteens. And jak, curried in coconut milk. [Big Grin]

And rambutan. Mmm, how about snake gourd and bitter gourd and water gourd and gotakola sambol and oh yeah, pol sambol - that's the best! String hoppers, milk hoppers, and egg hoppers are all excellent. [Big Grin]

Faluda is wonderfulness. Devilled cuttlefish are wonderful, too. And, let me see... [ROFL]

Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :

If you want to eat fish and chips properly, eat your chips with HP brown sauce and your fish with malt vinegar. And make sure the chips are the thick kind which have actually met a potato at some point.

Good fish batter shouldn't be too hard or too thick, just crunchy. And they should give you something vauguely fish shaped, with recognisable fish in it - not Long John Silver style fish-fingers.

If anyone offers you mushy peas, just say no.

Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Bella Bee:

If anyone offers you mushy peas, just say no.

Oooh, that's so wrong. Fish n chips are best enjoyed straight from the paper, on a bleak and dreary sea-front. Souse both in salt and vinegar and dip the chips into a pot of mushy peas.

I feel all homesick. [Cry]

Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :

quote:
What England calls "fish n chips", we call "Long John Silvers."

However, the two things are very different in taste, texture, and experience.

Posted by BlueWizard (Member # 9389) on :

Only for the very couragious amoungst you all.

Lutefisk - A traditional Scandinavian dish prepared by soaking air-dried cod in a lye solution for several weeks before skinning, boning, and boiling it, a process that gives the dish its characteristic gelatinous consistency.

If Lutefisk isn't properly soaked and rinsed before cooking, it is poison. I mean, afteral, it is pickled in LYE.

Now in the USA, especially in the Central or Midwest Stated, Lutefisk is a very big annual event. Every church in the country side has it's big annual Lutefisk Dinner. The best way to enjoy this toxic and poisonous fish (he says with a note of sarcasm) is to dip it in butter. No, you really can't consider this health food.

Oddly, when this subject (lutefisk) was discussed in another group, someone from Norway pointed out that Lutefisk is used for punishment in modern Norway; "do your homework or I'll make you eat some Lutefisk!'.

Still to us second and third generation Norwegian immigrants, it is mana from heaven, or at least a taste of home. That and the every present Lefse, but Lefse is another post altogether.

Back on topic, as to Fish'n'Chips, if I am ever luck enough to make it to England, how could I in good conscience not get good and drunk and eat greasy Fish'n'Chips from the local street vendor. I mean, it's just not England without Fish'n'Chips.

Of course, there is always Bangers'n'Mash, as well as the lovely Tracle Tart and the delightful taste of Spotted Dick.

And as long as we are on the subject, whatever possessed the first person with the thought that it was a good idea to make a desert/pudding out of suet (dried beef fat)?

Sorry for straying from the main subject.

Steve/BlueWizard

Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mackillian:

quote:
What England calls "fish n chips", we call "Long John Silvers."
However, the two things are very different in taste, texture, and experience.

If you say so - I stopped in a neighborhood fish'n'chips stand in a working section of London and again in a little tourist spot in Scotland on the Isle of Skye, if memory serves.

While both experiences were good, it struck me as nothing so much as a slightly tastier version of LJS.

-Trevor

Posted by stihl1 (Member # 1562) on :

I grew up catholic, and we did the fish on fridays thing all year long. My dad used to belong to this club called the Washington Club, and they had fish frys on Fridays. So more often than not, we'd get the fish fry food from there or go there to eat on fridays. I so love batter fried fish with french fries, cole slaw, some lemon, vinegar, and tartar sauce. GOOD tartar sauce, not just the pickle relish mixed with mayo crap people try to pass off on ya. I think that club used to do a beer batter, which made it so good. It's one of my fondest memories of childhood, and it was certainly much better than the salmon patties my mom tried to pass off on us more often than not on the other fridays of the year.

Unfortunately, I can't find a proper place where I live now that comes close to this. The restaurants around here aren't the same, and the Red Lobster in town is gross. I especially get antsy for the stuff this time of year with lent approaching. It's a bummer.

But I do so love some fish and chips.

Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :

You could always make your own. [Wink]

Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :

quote:
Originally posted by BlueWizard:
Still to us second and third generation Norwegian immigrants, it is mana from heaven, or at least a taste of home.

I beg to differ. *makes gagging noises*

My 2nd gen. Norwegian father loved fiskeboller--nasty fish balls which are nowhere near as awful as lutefisk, but that was enough.

My "tastes of Norway" are gjetost (brown goat cheese), sandkaker (little shortbread-like tarts) and krumkake .