Fush and Chups

As a family, back in the 1950s  we were poor, I think it's called under privileged now. If we, as a family, went out for a meal, it would inevitably be Fish and Chips, the cheapest take away or eat in.

Growing I began to loathe fish and chips. I don't think that I was associating that with being poor, but just bored of the repetition. So what changed? Asia did.

Fish and Chips in Malaysia was okay, a bit weird sometimes, but bearable. In Siem Reap, Cambodia, however, the whole notion of fish and chips slipped up a notch or three. The most exceptional was Fush & Chups at Clayton Venis 's Jungle Burger.

While Cod was an unknown quantity in Cambodia, the lack of it was more than made up for by the river fish used, coated in beer batter. Okay, put simply, it was delicious, and none of those frozen chips either, or mushy peas from a tin.

It was eating Cambodian fish and chips which lead me back to eating that dish in West Mersea yesterday (£10 or $US14, RM 50). It was neither as bad as the British fish and chips that I remember, but certainly not as good as my New Zealand mate's in Siem Reap.