May 31, 20222 min read

Catch of the Day

Updated: May 31, 2022

Tucking into a half portion of Fish and Chips at Joe Schmucks Roadhouse this past long weekend rekindled my desire to continue working my way around all the Shuswap’s Fish and Chips offerings. After all, somebody has to! I managed to visit at least eleven establishments last summer where Fish and Chips were on the menu, and I might have chosen to wash it down with a local craft brew or two. There are a few venues still to try and of course there is nothing stopping me going around again – I do like my Fish and Chips!

My only disappointment has been not finding mushy peas as a side order (or a deep-fried Mars Bar come to think of it) although I have since found a can and have googled how to make them yourself. Too much work. My partner is horrified, she’s still getting over the packet of bread sauce that Brits like to mix up and consume at Christmas!

Often considered Britain’s national dish, the ritual of visiting the local chippy after a week’s work on Friday evening was something my family always looked forward to. Fish and Chip shops first appeared in the UK in the 1860s, and British Government safeguarded the supply during the First World War, and again in the Second World War; it was one of the few foods in the UK not subject to rationing. I recall the newspaper outer packaging for insulation that kept the chips inside nice and warm for the journey home. And there were always more chips than you could humanely consume. Cold chips between two slices of buttered white bread and ketchup making for a chip butty is a thing to be enjoyed the day after!