Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The best and the worst

Here are some much better pictures of Whitby than the one, above, that I had found. Check them out - they will give you a MUCH better idea of the flavor of this fun place to visit! [Photos by, and courtesy of our good friend Soubriquet]

The post before this one was the 200th for BritishSpeak. If I had known, I would have tried to make it more interesting. Or at least make it about Britain. Too late now.
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Food for thought.

One of the subjects we have definitely NOT neglected, either here or over at the pub, is the subject of food. In looking back over some of the food posts for both blogs, I discover that the best fish and chips in the UK (and thus the whole world) can be found in Lincolnshire at the late Mrs. Longden's in Upton village. At least they were when she was still alive. And the worst (assuming you don't count Scotland at all) are to be found also in Lincolnshire, along the east coast in the tourist eateries there.

As an investigative American, I soon found that the above was only a subjective opinion, and one or two of you had other ideas as to the winners at both ends of the scale. But, then, Americans are not really qualified to advance an opinion anyway, since (number one) they don't ever eat fish and chips in the UK, and (number two) they have been raised on Fish 'N More at Long John Silver's all their lives.

Despite the above authoritative opinion from expert British sources, I find that an award for the best fish 'n chips this year went to, generally, the town of Whitby in North Yorkshire. This, according to the online version of the Mail. I'm guessing that is a newspaper in the UK. Should you not be in the mood for delcious fish 'n chips, Whitby also offers delightful coastal walks and donkey rides. Hmmmm.

13 comments:

  1. I for one cannot stand fish. "chips" however are ok with some good ol' fry sauce, or just plain salt.

    As for reaching that many posts, a miracle it may be, and fabulous at the same time. I have 1098 posts with all my blogs together, and that's not counting my old blog service where I had about 600 or more. Meh, I need a life. :p

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  2. This Upton isn't far off the route I'm taking in my British journey, and I love a good chippy, even if I was raised on Long John Silver's. Love the hush puppies.

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  3. Each are is of course different. Edinburgh chip shops ask if you want 'Salt and sauce' on your 'Fish supper.' The sauce being a wonderful vinegary brown sauce, ideal for the product. In Glasgow they offer 'Salt and vinegar.'
    Scots chip are made from different potatoes, and no doubt each are has it's own speciality alongside. (often uneatable!)

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  4. You know, i didn't even have any fish and chips when I was back... I did have some greggs pasties though.. yummy.

    We used to take vacations at Whitby.

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  5. Fish and chips are.....well, fish and chips. 200th post ay? Wow, congrats. That's a bundle.

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  6. oh, i forgot the congrats for the 200th post. I need to check where I am at, I don't think I've made 100 yet.

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  7. Chica - I haven't a clue how many posts there are total on all my blogs. I get a headache thinking about it. But 1098? God, I hope not. I have been at this since March. You have been at it since you were twelve. On the other hand, your posts are interesting. So that's probably harder, I imagine. :) And don't tell me you don't eat fish, either...
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    Redbeard - I forgot about your upcoming trip. I envy you. And I love a good chippy too. Wonk wonk. But you probably don't go out chippying on Saturday nights, being married and all. It's a Western thing. :) I hasten to add I don't either, if you are reading this, baby. Never have, never will.

    Isn't Lower Upton where they tried to kill Al Bundy that time because his ancestor made it so the sun never shined anymore? Think so. Tell me if they have sun there when you get back. I suppose you will not leave until you've attended this year's Red Sox pity party, though. Don't want you and Petra to miss that.
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    Adullamite - I think I speak for all of us when I say I am in awe of you for eating fish and chips in Scotland. Just kidding. Not. At Long John's here they also give you what they call Malt Vinegar. It's brown. Salt is available also, upon special advance request. Most people go there mainly for the Hush Puppies, as Redbeard says.

    I would KILL to go eat fish and chips in Scotland. I would. My daughter went there a couple years ago. Said they were really friendly. Unlike England. Or at least unlike London, where they don't try to hide their hatred of Americans anymore. They used to hide it, you know. But no fish and chips she said. Some kind of intestines or offal or something. But they were all polite, so she ate it.

    Thank you for your comment. You have shown true grit by coming back again. :)
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    Don - How's it goin'? Thanks for the compliment. Chica didn't seem to think 200 meant shit. But Chica has never really liked me. So what?, I say. She's a closet chicken choker anyway, I think. Or whatever the female equivalent is. Sorry, Don. You didn't come here to listen to me ramble on about that ungrateful Chica. Just look at her fancy-assed avatar would you? She used to just have her face on it. But look now, 'cause it will be different tomorrow. Ummm, Don you are pretty new here, so I should probably tell you that Chica is right at the top of my buddy list. Just in case you get the wrong idea. K? And Caroline. She's ok too. Sometimes. And Petra, when she tries. And Suzy Q, for sure. But a. Oh, my! Stay the hell away from that woman!

    Here's a little extra advice for free, since you read this whole thing: stay FAR away from Qelqoth. Unless you would enjoy watching a drunk Welshman eat Chip Butties with his mouth open. It makes this classy American just GAG watching the white drool come off his chin. Spare yourself. Just take that little tidbit with you. Thanks again for stopping by.

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    Caroline - Thanks.

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  8. Caroline. Come back here. You know I'm kidding.

    How come you didn't eat fish and chips when you where home? It's ENGLAND for chrissakes! And you know I have never figured out why English girls eat pasties. They wear them over here. You probably didn't know that. Google: pasties, stripper. Unrestricted images, of course. It will be fun.

    So the Mail wasn't lying about Whitby? Tell you the truth, the pic didn't make it look like much, did it? But the picture didn't show the donkeys either. I'm glad you're back :)

    (Made 100 what?)

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  9. Will get around to posting some pics of Whitby soon. My favourite little Yorkshire sea-side town.
    Also the point where, in Bram Stoker's book, Count Dracula washed ashore, to create toothy undead havoc.
    I can't comment on the fish, other than that they're very fresh, as I'm allergic to those nasty things, but the chips..mmm good chips in Whitby, definitely.

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  10. Ah but I don't eat fish, the closest I get to eating fish is that minced crap they put in frozen fishsticks, and yes I subject myself to that.

    I don't even want to consider Tuna in a can as fish either, because I wouldn't love it so much. Besides wasn't it Jessica Simpson the one to say it was chicken? I like to think the same.

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  11. Soubriqet-Looking forward to the Whitby pics. The one they ran in the Mail doesn't make it look very good. Sorry about the no fish. And I didn't know/remember that about Dracula. So there you go: Good fish and chips, a donkey ride, and some undead bloodsucking. Indeed, Britain's "Best Day Out."

    Chica-no fish either? Well, more for me I guess.

    Minced crap. Yes, I think that's the official term for it, actually. "Mrs. Paul's Minced Crap."
    Yes. Jessica Simpson. Tuna am chicken. What's up Chica?

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  12. And as a spin-off from Dracula, whitby hosts a goth festival.. very colourful in a black'n'white sort of way. Don't forget St Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, or Caedmon the cowman, the earliest known documented english poet.
    Anyone who knows Whitby will also tell of famed navigator Captain Cook.
    His ship, the Endeavour, after an illustrious career, (and after his death in Hawaii), was eventually deliberately scuttled off Narragansett. As an act of war. Not sure what the point of it was... maybe to cause a nuisance in the shipping channel... I might have to look that up. Um
    I might have to use... um
    google Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

    Pictures ummm
    Eventually... I'll get round to it, I promise... but first I must go to the pub. Not the Tick and Slapple, the Hunters' Inn.
    Tally Ho!

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  13. having eaten chips in whitby I can agree. I do miss my local chippie though, nowt better than chips with chip shop curry sauce YUM!!!!!!!!

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