Fish and chips, cup of tea, Mary Poppins...these are a few of my favourite things. Ok I was lying about Mary Poppins and it has to be said that a spoonful of sugar actually makes the medicine stick in the back of your throat instead of 'helping it go down'. But the above favourite things are very British,iconic, along with the double decker bus and London taxis. Imagine my delight when I first came to Belgium and learned that the chip shop was as big a part of the Belgian make-up as it is in Britain. Sadly, walking into a frietkot(chip shop) is a bit like taking the wrapping off of a Christmas present and finding it empty inside! A British chip shop is a veritable wonderland of artery clogging goodness, usually have a choice of 4 or 5 species of fish, various pies, sausages, hamburgers, fried chicken, kebabs, pizzas...the list goes on. In a Belgian frietkot there is a choice of 2 or 3 sausages and some sort of breaded balls, all of which are deep fried.
It gets worse.
The Belgians fry their chips twice. Once is enough, believe me, it's cooked. Frying a chip twice renders it useless once it is cold. Try to eat a Belgian chip 30 minutes after it's been cooked and you will think you are eating the wrapping it came in. The reason for stiff chips is that the Belgians like to dip them in mayonaise. You can't dip a floppy chip. The proper way to make chips is to cut them thick, fry them once and be sure that they are firm enough to hold a liberal splashing of vinegar, a sprinkling of salt and a good dollop of tomato ketchup. You could leave a plate of British chips in the fridge for a week and, once heated, they would still taste as good as they did when you first bought them. Hurrah for the British chip!
Two nice sites for your perusal.
www.belgianfries.com/bfblog:
www.fishandchips.org.uk
or as bad......
ReplyDeleteYours truly
A lover of the one and only good chips!, the belgian one!!
Or as we said after a weekend in UK. Where the fuck can u get a ordinary potato in this chips country.
ReplyDeletelol
ReplyDeleteWhat utter rubbish. We do not fry chips twice because it dips better in mayo, it's because it makes a better tasting chip that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I've been living in London for 3 years and I have no problem dipping your thick bland undercooked chips in mayo.
ReplyDeleteOn the point of choice, I don't know what chip shop you went to, but in Belgium chip most shops have a lot more choice in meats and sauces than the UK chip shop.
Then on the point of cold chips. Who eats cold chips? Do you store the leftovers in the fridge and put it in your sandwich the next day? Do you judge pizza based on how well it tastes cold? Ludicrous.
Don't get me started on how your chip shops fry their chips and then put them in a heating cabinet to keep them warm which makes them even more soggy and taste like slightly fried boiled potaties. Also the chips frequently taste of fish because they fry it in the same oil. And the fish often tastes like..nothing really.
Unfortunatly there is no Belgian chip shop in London, so I'm forced to be content with substandard chip shoppery.