chip on his shoulder
And the moral of the
“thank you” that drove the cook and maid
to distraction and a new career.
story is...
While relieved that the story didn’t vilify
fast food, I’m not so sure I liked the “happy”
Bernard Anghelides takes a course in
ending.
political correctness for kids
Though, fortunately, my son was too
tired to be taking much notice by the end
I
quite enjoy reading my younger children of the tale and I wasn’t inundated with
bedtime stories - well, most of the time. requests the following morning for pizza
But, occasionally, the book - especially for breakfast.
when provided by the school - is mind-
corrosively politically correct. I’ve no
problem with the racial mix in many being D
o any of our readers know of a decent
kids book involving fast food? With
more representative of Lewisham than my own children, I’ve always preferred to
leafy Ruritania. The inclusion in most tell them stories with a moral. I’ve read
Aldo Zilli with Giovanni Fionda, the new
champion chippy
books of one or more Asian and Afro- them Hilaire Belloc’s Cautionary Verses,
Caribbean characters is reg976lective of the written in the early part of the last century, accompanying picture of a not so glam
make-up of today’s British population (including Rebecca, who slammed doors Kerry is probably not the “image” that she
(though there seems to be a noticeable lack for fun and perished miserably; Jim, who may choose to publicise any new venture.
of Greeks, Turks or eastern Europeans). ran away and was eaten by a lion; and And a recent bankruptcy may make a bank
But if the inclusion of ethnic minorities is a Charles Augustus Fortescue, who always loan a tad tricky.
valid attempt to show children their world did what was right and so accumulated an Then there’s Aldo (“I’m famous so I
as it is, why does this shot at authenticity immense fortune). don’t need to wear a tie”) Zilli, the celeb
not include any parents nipping into the I suspect that if Belloc were alive today chef who emceed the recent Fish and
garden for a fag or round the pub for a and still writing, his latest poem may Chip Shop of the Year Awards. He told the
pint? And none of the kids ever, ever goes well have included a child who feasted gathered great and good that he was going
to McDonalds, Burger King, KFC or even a exclusively on the world’s most popular to open a g976ish and chip shop himself, and if
g976ish and chip shop. takeaway, though it would have been he entered the competition he’d expect to
Maybe the lack of fast food in young entitled something like John Arbuthnot be nominated the winner!
children’s books is a good thing. I have long Jones who always ate at McDonalds and Yur, right. It’s one thing getting all the
suspected that some day, one of my brood subsequently exploded. cutlery and napkins in the right place in
would bring home a book from school My eldest has already gone through some g976lash restaurant on Brewer Street
about a child who ate burgers or kebabs Roald Dahl’s entire children’s canon (try in London’s West End, but try getting a
with the politically correct tone of the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory if you four pan range running at full capacity to
indicating that their diet was an evil akin want examples of little brats receiving their serve a queue of customers winding out
to smoking or overindulgence in alcohol. just deserts). of the shop and down the road on a busy
And, after the g976inal “Good night” I would be Dahl may have tormented parents with Saturday evening. That’s what running a
questioned on why eating burgers/kebabs his political incorrectness though, if the chippy is all about.
made you spotty/fat etc. terrible fate of Augustus Gloop, the fat,
Hence, it was with trepidation that I sat overeating boy in Charlie and the Chocolate
down on the side of the bed to read my g976ive Factory is anything to go by, Dahl would T
he winner of the Fish and Chip Shop of
the Year title managed to get himself
year old The Pizza Princess. have been on the health lobby side when it a bit of publicity with an appearance on
The main character, I thought, was sure came to fast food. BBC Radio 5 Live. Giovanni Fionda of the
to suff er a terrible fate, though whether Atlantic Fish Bar in Coatbridge spoke
this little princess who ate nothing but
pizza would end up with a fat stomach, T
he attraction of running a g976ish and chip about the shop (and revealed that he
shop has never appealed to me. Buying was engaged to be married). Then the
succumb to violent vomiting or end up food in one certainly does, but running presenter, noting that the outlet was in
with a small attack of acne, was beyond me. one? No, I’m far too lazy and know which Scotland suggested that the country’s best
But I was wrong. She rudely demanded side of the counter I’d like to remain when g976ish and chip outlet obviously didn’t g976it into
pizza each day from the cook and the maid the food is served. But it seems that a few the national stereotype and serve deep
who, subsequently, cleared off . When the celebs have decided that fast food may be fried Mars Bars. Er… Giovanni revealed that
princess eventually tracked them down, the business for them. The Sun recently they do. Get practicing on the Mars Bars,
they’d opened themselves a pizza parlour. reported that ex-Atomic Kitten member Aldo.
Now, the young royal eats every day (three and former face of Fish and Chips Week
times) at the parlour run by her former Kerry Katona is considering opening a
maid and cook and lives happily ever after. chippy though dithering with the alter-
The moral? Nothing whatsoever to native of a kebab shop or a deli. The paper
do with a bad diet (and even a fast food quotes “a close friend“ as saying : “Her
fan like myself would baulk at pizza for favourite idea is a fast food joint. She is
breakfast lunch and tea). It seems that it always pictured chomping on a kebab and
was the little girl never saying “please” and wants to cash in on that image.” The
Fish & Chips and Fast Food 48 January/February 2010
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48