Down the Chippy

The whiff of nostalgia coming off this photo is as strong as the smell of grease and vinegar probably in the air when it was taken.

That lovely little chip shop was glowing with the sounds of Greek music, fun, and food that filled you up and in the winter warmed you. Propping our bikes outside we would pile in and we would be treated to some Greek dancing to go with the music it was always a fun queue. A bag of chips, beautiful and freshly chipped out the back then cooked to perfection. On the side if you had the money for me would be a fishcake or sausage batter.

Wrapped in newspaper with lashings of salt and vinegar so hot you could barely hold them let alone eat them. The smokers would be skint after spending the last of their money on a loosie so they were snapping around like a bunch of seals looking for a feed. The true British takeaway although today not so popular but I can understand why. There is competition everywhere for the cash in your pocket and the ‘chippy’ is no longer as special has it once was.

I remember taking my kids to Burger King and the like buying them a burger and fries and they would be gone in 50 seconds. They would be concerned for Daddy not having anything to eat until I walked them down to chippy lane to get my feed of real chips, not fries. My kid’s still hungry would beg like dew-eyed puppies looking to quell their hunger after they 50 seconds meal.

I have fond memories of going down the chippy, as a kid growing up be it Jimmy’s, Mario’s or that one at the top of Adelaide Street whose name I forget. Be it a full family meal, chips with the mates or noshing down on a bag of scrumps left over batter that had been deep-fried, the cheapest thing you could buy they were all good memories.

Most of today’s chippy’s can be compared to an old-fashioned corner shop and a superstore. You can buy everything under the sun while the other you can get the basics.