The Wall_Spring 2023_Issue 9

Artwork: Sofia Daras, LVI

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Great Britain, the country which we have all watched grow and change over many years, has stayed on its feet through wars, drastic political changes and even Brexit! The people have changed, as generations pass and fashions evolve, especially as the youth currently have the biggest media influence in history. However, one thing in Great Britain that will never change is its fair share of clichés! Tea and scones, rain, pubs, baked beans with a cheeky full English and the best Scottish shortbread you’ll ever taste.The list goes on, and even though some of them are painful and annoying, like the never-ending season of showers, they are what makes Britain, Britain. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking – what about the best one of all? I had to leave the worldwide favourite until last… Fish and Chips. Yeva Kebabdjian (she/her), LVI, explores the hirstory behind one of the nation’s favourite dishes. People from all around the world visit the UK just to have a taste. For locals it’s a nice treat to enjoy; whether you’ve ordered a guilty take away or if you’ve gone out to the nearby pub with your family. It’s an old tradition that dates back to the 1860s, bringing everyone together. Some like theirs with mushy peas, others not so much, as they enjoy digging into the crispy layer of their battered cod, with a gherkin or those irresistible fluffy fries.You just can’t go wrong! I don’t know about you, but I’m already craving some! Why is it that such a simple dish which has evolved from being served on the streets of London wrapped in news

paper, has now become a culinary delight? Frankly, that’s a question I’m afraid I can only answer by saying, “because it’s delicious!” Funnily enough, you can find the dish down the road, in a small grubby shop smelling of vinegar and oil or in a Michelin star restaurant, racking up a sum of money that makes your eyes pop and forcing you to ask, “Shall we split the bill?”. However, what I can explain in wider depth is the history of this scrumptious dish. How did the meal first land on our plates, and are these momentous historic events the only reason why there is such thing as a “fish and chippy?” Going back to the famously glorious Victorian era, fish was very expensive and rare to find in the city of London. Fishmongers didn’t make much money as it was deemed fancy and a privilege to consume such delicacies. The upper-class Brits were the only ones lucky enough to afford fresh fish.The dish has taken a lengthy journey to end up on ‘Londers’ plates, as luckily enough for us, everything changed during the Industrial Revolution. Occurring between 1760 - 1840, it resulted in the invention of the steam train by our saviour, Richard Trevithick, who changed everything.This meant that transporting fish was less expensive and became a lot more ordinary. Citizens from various classes could then begin to afford fish; replacing the cheap and unappealing fried

fried fish with jacket potatoes or plain potatoes on the side. Shockingly, as you are reading this, there are rather fiery debates happening online between members of the public, arguing the identity of the real mastermind behind the ingenious creation of fish and chips. This is because a vast majority of the public don’t want to admit or recognize that the person who brought fish and chips to Britain wasn’t even British. A popular source reveals that Jewish immigrant Joseph Malin opened the first fish n’ chip shop in either 1860 or 1865, selling the two together; or as the BBC like to put it, he “married the fish to chips”.As there is an uncertainty with the exact date this shop opened, some people argue that Mr Lees (a man who encouraged the concept, especially in Mosley in 1863) is the one speculation, yet when we tuck into the comforting crispy delight, we don’t seem to know or care. Our main concern is that our siblings or friends don’t grab one of our fries when we look at the random bird which happens to be flying above our heads! who deserves the crown for the discovery.There is continuous political turmoil, take this as an opportunity to begin appreciating simple things. Let’s use our phones for something useful and, as a generation with the privilege of the internet, let’s be more interested and inspired, even if it’s something like simply researching mushy peas! So, through all the historical and

pig trotters {Disgusting, I know}. Thankfully for us, that became less

popular and frying various white fillets became the newVictorian trend. By 1860, it became much more popular to have

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