the delphic expanse

Mr Smith wrote:I'm also being very British this evening and eating chips from the chippy, with mushy peas. This place does the best mushy peas, they are truly a culinary wonder to behold.

Mushy peas??? I have never heard of this culinary wonder ... and now I am intrigued. (If it's anything like opening a bowl of canned sweet peas, microwaving them and them mashing them with mozzarella before eating, I'm in.)

What's a "chippy"?

EntAllat wrote:What's a "chippy"?

I'm guessing not what it means in US slang. Mr. Smith appears to be a loving and caring husband. He wouldn't be looking for a girl like that no matter how well she could "cook." I could imagine Trip and Malcolm having this conversation, though.

I'm curious about exactly what this dish is, too. Just the words "mushy peas" makes me think of The Exorcist, but the British tend to have such interesting names for food. "Toad in the hole" has nothing to do with amphibian legs (at least not the last time I checked). Since Mr. Smith is a cook, his recommendations for food should be good.

It's been a while since I've visited the UK, but I'm guessing a "chippy" is a "chip shop", as in "Fish and Chips"?

Aquarius wrote:It's been a while since I've visited the UK, but I'm guessing a "chippy" is a "chip shop", as in "Fish and Chips"?

This, yes. I had to research the US slang version of the word, made me laugh!

Mushy peas are basically just peas, mushed. I can make them at home by boiling some peas in a little water with one small garlic glove, mushing or blending them (the best mushy peas have chunks of peas left), and seasoning to taste. But, they are never as good as the ones from this particular shop, which actually doesn't have the best chips. Though not inedible by any means, an ideal combination would be those mushy peas, and the chips from my local, which are much tastier. I love food.

Mr Smith wrote: I had to research the US slang version of the word, made me laugh!

My dad makes great mushy peas. LOL (He's a chef). And my Mum does a pretty delicious trifle!

Mr Smith wrote:

Aquarius wrote:It's been a while since I've visited the UK, but I'm guessing a "chippy" is a "chip shop", as in "Fish and Chips"?

This, yes. I had to research the US slang version of the word, made me laugh!

Mushy peas are basically just peas, mushed. I can make them at home by boiling some peas in a little water with one small garlic glove, mushing or blending them (the best mushy peas have chunks of peas left), and seasoning to taste. But, they are never as good as the ones from this particular shop, which actually doesn't have the best chips. Though not inedible by any means, an ideal combination would be those mushy peas, and the chips from my local, which are much tastier. I love food.

I go for the same thing with fried chicken places. (And no, before you ask, KFC doesn't count--bah!!) It's hard to find a place with chicken seasoned just right, good broasted potatoes, and--the real deal-breaker here--good cole slaw! There's a chain around metro Detroit that everyone raves about called Chicken Shack, and they are good, but the cole slaw is nothing special. In Clawson, there's a place called Fay-Mus Fried Chicken, and they have the balance just right--all three elements are just perfect! Sadly I don't live near there any more. I still work near there one day a week, so it's not out of the question to pick it up and bring home every so often.

Glory1863 wrote:

EntAllat wrote:What's a "chippy"?

I'm guessing not what it means in US slang. Mr. Smith appears to be a loving and caring husband. He wouldn't be looking for a girl like that no matter how well she could "cook." I could imagine Trip and Malcolm having this conversation, though.

I had to go look that up too. It's not common slang around where I'm from.

Aquarius wrote:

Mr Smith wrote:Mushy peas are basically just peas, mushed. I can make them at home by boiling some peas in a little water with one small garlic glove, mushing or blending them (the best mushy peas have chunks of peas left), and seasoning to taste. But, they are never as good as the ones from this particular shop, which actually doesn't have the best chips. Though not inedible by any means, an ideal combination would be those mushy peas, and the chips from my local, which are much tastier. I love food.

I go for the same thing with fried chicken places. (And no, before you ask, KFC doesn't count--bah!!) It's hard to find a place with chicken seasoned just right, good broasted potatoes, and--the real deal-breaker here--good cole slaw! There's a chain around metro Detroit that everyone raves about called Chicken Shack, and they are good, but the cole slaw is nothing special. In Clawson, there's a place called Fay-Mus Fried Chicken, and they have the balance just right--all three elements are just perfect! Sadly I don't live near there any more. I still work near there one day a week, so it's not out of the question to pick it up and bring home every so often.

It's the same for me with Tex-Mex places! One place has the best cheese enchiladas, another has the best chorizo for breakfast tacos, a different one is better if you want fish tacos, tamales or fajitas. There's only two places that do horchata, but one is waaay better than the other and every place has a different salsa! (The spiciness of which can vary from day-to-day too, depending on how mad the cook is at her spouse that morning.) So far nobody in this town can match the chili rellenos I used to get in my home town.

Geez. You people are making me hungry. Now I want fried chicken, mashed peas and stuffed jalapeños! And a big glass of iced tea!

^ I have friends who come up every year from Plano, TX for the Media West Con here in Lansing, and they say our Mexican food sucks up here!

One time I had to laugh, because we were at my favorite place, Los Tres Amigos, and they said it fell flat and I was all "Um, you want to tell the Mexican people back there in the kitchen that they don't cook Mexican food right???"

Maybe they don't think we can take the real deal up here? LOL

Aquarius wrote:^ I have friends who come up every year from Plano, TX for the Media West Con here in Lansing, and they say our Mexican food sucks up here!

One time I had to laugh, because we were at my favorite place, Los Tres Amigos, and they said it fell flat and I was all "Um, you want to tell the Mexican people back there in the kitchen that they don't cook Mexican food right???"

Maybe they don't think we can take the real deal up here? LOL

LOL. It may have been the reverse if it was true Mexican food!

Tex-Mex isn't really Mexican - it's a blend of American southwestern, southern and Mexican. Some people that grew up with Tex-Mex never really like true Mexican food. (And vice versa.) There's a couple of true Mexican places here that serve dishes that originate from Oaxaca to Tamalupas and some of it is very familiar while some of it is very different. (Same thing with southwest cuisine I've had in New Mexico. Some of it is familiar and some is really, really different.) I love it all but I'm a foodie and I'll try anything.