Back in my early days of teaching, lunch in the school cafeteria cost 50 cents. It's hard to believe now, I know, but that was a little pricey for me, so I brown-bagged it on most days.
But not usually on Fridays because that was fish&chip day. At 60 cents, it was an even costlier meal, but it was often my weekly treat.
I would take my place in line and order fish and chips, whereupon Gladys, a sweet lady, would ask if I wanted fries/chips with that.
Are you getting this? I would order fish and chips but would then be required to specify that I wanted chip with fish and chips. The fries were what drove up the cost to an astronomical 60 cents, so, apparently, they felt that they had to make sure.
I was invariably bemused by this.
Fifty years later and just this past weekend, I had a craving and ordered fish and chips online to be delivered to the door. It was many fold more than 50 cents, let me tell you, but that is not the point of the post.
You already have an inkling where this is going don't you?
When Sue opened her container, she was shocked to see a beautiful piece of fish but nary a chip in sight.
Please bear in mind that, aside from a couple of pizzas, this was our first and only order since the pandemic swept over us. Also, we only went out to a restaurant twice in the whole time since March, and on both occasions just for breakfast. You may recall that both breakfasts were consumed safely outdoors on a patio by the river. This was during the fair weather of late summer and early autumn when there was a bit of a lull at the end of the first wave.
So this was to be a rare treat.
Here's what happened. It was my fault. My daughter says that I overthink things.
When I was placing the order via a phone app, I was given a choice about a side dish. I could choose fries or a salad -- and other things too, but I forget what they were.
Now, I am not totally stupid, so it did cross my mind, but I reasoned that fish and chips must surely to freaking goodness sake come with chips. So they must be asking if I wanted extra fries or a salad. I didn't want extra fries, so I ordered salad.
Of course, I was wrong.
I should have known from my experience at the school cafeteria those almost 50 years past, and I repeat that it did cross my mind, but, good grief, surely when you order fish and chips, you shouldn't have to specify chips.
But you do.
Also, if I hadn't been greedy and ordered the salad, I think I would have uncovered their thinking. I am pretty darn sure that if I had tried to not order a side dish at all that the app would have stopped me in my tracks. Or maybe not. Maybe they would have just sent us two pieces of fish. Who is to know?
By the way, the fish was very good. The salad too.
But.
19 comments:
Ha! Makes for a very good post, even if I now seem to have a craving for chips. :-)
Oh, fish and chips! The last ones I had were glorious. From my girlfriend's local chippie. :-)
Greetings from London.
Tickled my funny bone!
I once ordered a plain hamburger delivered for one of my girls. It definitely was plain as it was just a meat paddy with no bun. Like you, I assumed that a burger of any kind always came with a bun.
I'm thinking that when we ordered fish and chips at a sit-down restaurant they always ask do you want fries with that? Silly question for sure. I think the best fish and chips we had were in northern Scotland. They didn't ask the question.
Oh my, just what I had to go through...and I did say I liked the fries that came with the fish...so didn't order anything else for a side dish. The troubles were 1) this was the restaurant/bar where everyone at the bar was unmasked and elbow to shoulder where I had to go pick up and pay and 2) by the time I drove the 1/2 mile home, those fries had kind of cooled a bit. Not enough to keep me from eating every one of them which are NOT on my diet. Oh, I figured if I'm going to have another heart attack today, let me be happy. Stupid thinking! So now I'm back to low-fat, plant based food. Sorry you all just had salads...I bet you'll live a year longer because you did!
But...indeed because what is fish and chips without chips? A salad would not have made my day either. So definitely on a reorder, you will know to specify the chips.
Don't you have a bag of potato chips lying around?
We are making do with the bags of chips that come frozen and are cooked in the oven. Our last real chips were from the take-out at the Canadian Tire parking lot last summer.
Sigh.
One day we will look back on this, sticky fingers reeking of vinegar, and, I hope, laugh.
Or are you ketchup with your chips people?
So, fish and chips has become synonymous with a fried piece of fish? Weird. Like you, I would definitely expect fries to come with that fish. Salad is good, but not the same at all. When I started teaching, school lunches were about a dollar or a dollar and a half. I rarely bought. I did like loaded bake potato day and fajita day though.
Yes, but it should have come with chips.
It is not like that here. I always get fries with the fish.
You two are so much fun! I so enjoy your posts.
We've been ordering in every Thursday to support our local restaurants. I get really tired feeding the girls when they are here. Such pressure.
That really is funny!
I'm all the way with you on the fish and chips. They are also one of my favorites. I got into a tangle over the same issue with Tony Romas a few years a go.
Fish and Chips shouldn't come with a side dish--LOL! Good to know. I can't even remember how much lunches were when I was in school because my mom made us bag a lunch because it was cheaper. I know I occasionally bought a lunch...but this old brain can't dredge up a recall. 50 cents or less would be a good guess.
How disappointing! I haven't had a good fish dinner since I can't remember when. You're breaking my heart (and yours).
Fish and chips are about the only way I'll eat seafood, but it's been years.
I wonder how many of your readers will now be craving fish'n chips & either ordering online or making at home. Your post could be a boom to locals that offer fish & chips. Any time I've had an order of fish'n chips, it came with a side of coleslaw, it was the question of getting tarter sauce as an extra.
Seems like they should be calling it fish less chips! It is patently ludicrous that a dish called fish and chips would not have chips.
Well it seems like the menu should havw read 'fish' if that is what they were sending you. I would have argued the poi t...It is what I do.
Post a Comment