I went to England in 1989 and one of my memories is getting actual fish and chips from a few local places. That stuff was awesome. I was in Bedford, if you are curious.
Anyway, it came with newspaper as the outside wrapping, which seemed cool when I was a kid and also just seemed so authentic(uh…it was authentic of course). My Mom(she’s English) told me that is how it always was when she was a kid.
Do they still do that? I believe I heard it was getting banned. If it did get completely banned, when was that in full effect?
No. Fake newspaper, yes. Real newspaper, no. Real newspaper these days isn’t as porous as old newspaper, but it’s still more porous than stuff that’s suitable to serve food in.
Even though I kinda like the idea, when I had fish and chips in newspaper as a kid I always threw away the ones at the edge that had the ink on them. It helped that they always gave about a pound of potatoes per portion (and do still).
Yes, you can get fish wrapped in newspaper, but not (I think) in newsprint.
The big stacks of plain, off-white paper that many chip shops and takeaways use for wrapping food are, in fact newspaper offcuts.
In my experience, even when fish and chips was wrapped in printed paper, there was always a sheet of plain/waxed/greaseproof paper added to stop the ink getting on the food.
I’ve noticed more and more places now are selling their chips in cardboard boxes, which is sacrilege to me. The great advantage of newspaper is that it soaks up some of the fat so the chips aren’t so greasy.
But in answer to the OP, I haven’t seen actual printed newspaper used for years, it’s been plain paper for decades. Food Standards Agency has a lot to answer for!
Nitpick: the paper itself is called newsprint, regardless of whether it has any print on it
Yes, lots of chip shops still use that kind of paper (usually a bit more greaseproof than real newsprint, but it’s blank or printed with some sort of fake newspapery design. The majority of places tend to put fish and chips in cardboard boxes, though, in my experience.
I get the impression that the move to boxes is driven by portion control, it being a lot harder for the old dear who’s taken a bit of a shine to you to give you an extra large serving – ooh, no, don’t
[/ Frankie Howerd]
Yep, and that is why I said outside wrapping in my original post. It did have a wax paper inside. Still, the ends of the fish touched the newspaper and got ink on them.
That derives from the old practice of teen-age newspaper delivery boys, carrying the newspapers on their bicycles as they ride along the parkway, and finally parking their newspapers in the customers’ driveways.
There one just off Theobalds Road in C London which did use newspapers. At least in 2009 when I last went to that place. Never knew why they were even allowed.
Every civilised man must live in London at least once in his life.
FME, Doner Kebabs seem to have taken over from fish and chips as the street side takeaway. My parents who were in London at the same timeframe as you were quite surprised at the relative paucity of Chippies compared to Doners when they went there in 2010.
No - It’s just the quite sensible idea that secondhand newspapers are not really hygienic. I remember that we used to recycle our papers to the local chippy when I was a kid.
Somewhat on topic - geographic/time shift// In the early 80s near Kure, Japan I was eagerly awaiting my first lunch with the Japanese local nationals that I worked with. We got our orders of yakisoba wrapped in newspaper. Chopstick lesson coming up for this gaijin. They held the wrapper level with their mouths, unwrapped the end, and used the chopsticks as a bulldozer to inhale the soba. I ate like a neandrathal for a few months until some proper instruction.
