fish n chips

there is nothing in the world like eating fresh FISH-N-CHIPS in Scotland!

i don't know exactly why...perhaps it's the type of fish, perhaps it's the type of batter they use, perhaps it's the type of oil they use, perhaps it's the size of the chips...perhaps it's the paper or the styrofoam container they use for you to eat them in? i don't know.

it might be the fact that yer actually in Scotland...and it just seems BETTER.

but i have fond memories of the chip shops in Glasgow. most were open late into the night. so if you felt peckish you could slip out of your flat, take a short walk down the street to the nearest chippy (every neighborhood had several) and order a fish supper or a bag of chips and an Irn Bru or a Fanta for a few quid and in a matter of moments you'd have a steaming hot container in your hands full of greasy goodness and something cold to wash it down with.

there are 2 chip shops in particular that stand out to me in my memory as being my favorites. in the Crosshill/Govan area i liked to go to Ramsey's Supper Shop, and in the Pollockshaws area i liked to go to the Blue Lagoon. there were many many others that i enjoyed, but those are the 2 that i can still remember.

one thing i know...i miss eating fish n chips.

this year on my birthday i decided that even though i wasn't anywhere near Scotland, i was feeling nostalgic and wanted to eat some. luckily we have a mobile chip shop in Boise, Idaho called "The Kilted Cod" http://www.kiltedcod.com/ Aye we do! the owners pride themselves on making fish n chips as authentic as they can...and i couldn't wait to try it out! so i put the word out to tons of my friends to come and join me for my birthday for some Scottish fish n chips. and that's exactly what we did. over 30 of my friends showed up. we queued up to the mobile chippy and ordered our fish suppers. and i gotta tell you...the taste was pretty darn close! if you click on that link in this paragraph it will take you to their website and you can see some photos of me and my friends.

it was really good and it helped to satisfy my craving. i know i'll go back to the Kilted Cod whenever i need a fish n chip fix. but there truly is nothing like eating the real thing IN Scotland.

Remember, Remember the 5th of November...

"Remember, remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder treason and plot. We see no reason Why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot! Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent To blow up king and parliament. Three score barrels were laid below To prove old England's overthrow. By god's mercy he was catch'd With a darkened lantern and burning match. So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring. Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king.And what shall we do with him? Burn him!" -an old British nursery rhyme

Today is Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night in the UK.

The day is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks throughout, in remembrance of the infamous failed treason plot on Nov. 5, 1605 to blow up Parliament and kill King James I.

A mercenary named Guy Fawkes joined with 12 other men, who wanted to protest against the Catholic persecution that had been going on due to the Protestant Crown, so they planned to blow up Parliament to overthrow King James I (successor to Elizabeth I). They set up 36 barrels of gunpowder underneath the House of Lords. The attempt was just that...an attempt (someone betrayed the plot) and Guy (who was stationed with the barrels) was found, tortured, and executed. That night bonfires were set throughout London to show that the King was safe. To this day all of Britain celebrates Nov. 5th with bonfires and fireworks (and many burn effigies of Guy Fawkes). "Some of the English have been known to wonder, in a tongue in cheek kind of way, whether they are celebrating Fawkes' execution or honoring his attempt to do away with the government."

I'm thinking back on the time I got to celebrate Bonfire Night in Glasgow (Nov 2001). I had no idea what was being celebrated that night, but it was announced at church that Sunday, that we were planning a gathering on the 5th with fireworks (the kind you purchase from a firework stand) in a nearby park to join in on the city-wide and Nation-wide celebration.

So the night of the 5th, myself and my flatmates joined countless others who gathered throughout the city to light off fireworks and set small bonfires. The light show in the night sky was spectacular! And the noise throughout the streets reminded me of our 4th of July Independence Day celebrations in the States. But Bonfire Night...this was not a holiday I was familiar with.

I leaned over to one of my friends (who was from Glasgow) and asked about what we were celebrating. My friend (realizing I was a clueless foreigner) very dramatically educated me on the events of the original Bonfire Night in 1605. You can read about what happened and why and how the UK still celebrates: http://www.bonfirenight.net

I remember voicing outloud, kind of making fun of the explanation, "so were celebrating that a guy hundreds of years ago almost blew up Parliament but was caught and executed." "AYE!" was the loud response. "And we're celebrating by setting things on fire?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm..."AYE!" came back at me once again with dramatic fervor. We both burst into laughter.

Oh...by the way...I was just told by a friend in Glasgow that this year Bonfire Night is moved to Thursday November 6th because tonight there is a Celtic game. The Scots love their football! So they get 2 nights in a row to party.

And for you movie buffs...the movie, "V for Vendetta", produced by the guys who did the Matrix trilogy, is set in London and has the Guy Fawkes Bonfire Night theme throughout.