Fish and Chips - There is nothing so wonderful as a good piece of fish all crisp on the outside and steaming hot in the inside. Chips have to be crisp and clean to the taste- no greasy after taste, just lightly salted, hot and soft in the middle.My first paid work after leaving school was at Goldie's Fish and Chips. I was not quite 17 and my father had asked his friend if I could work there over the summer break. Goldie agreed and there I was learning the magic of the perfect fish and chips. Goldie had great pride in his work, he had a secret batter recipe and I was one of the few who knew it came in a big tin from Sydney.
None the less, in 1970, I was shop junior and had much to learn. Summer always saw hordes of visitors come down from Adelaide to sail, surf, fish or just stay at their Goolwa shack for the holidays. The shop was popular and very busy.
Goldie taught me how to peel and slice the potatoes and how to pre-cook them to ensure crispness. He also had a large machine that could peel the potatoes, which he used if in a hurry. It was like a large concrete mixer with sharp nodes inside which turned and scrapped the skin from the spuds. Once I forgot to keep an eye on the machine and the large potatoes were whittled down to the size of small pomfrits that would later become the famous McDonald's fries . While I was obviously way before my time in the industry my results only earned me yet another eye roll and heavy sigh from Goldie, the things he did for mates. Cleaning the machine was one of my jobs, after all why should the boss get his knuckles scraped?
The Chipper was a large metal press, again with sharp edges to which the potato would be sat and a leaver pressed down so that even sized chips fell through the square holes into the bucket below.
However, it was in all a valuable experience, I learn the importance of clean oil, fresh fish and double cooked chips. I made hamburgers, steak sandwiches and eventually graduated to cooking in the deep fryer the Chico rolls, fish and chips demanded by hungry sun-burned customers. It was all a matter of timing and proving myself to be worthy of the trade.
Eventually, summer came to an end, I had served my apprenticeship and was reduced in hours. I joined the Navy and left town.
I met David when I moved to Cairns, a lot of water had passed through the Murray Mouth since I left Goolwa. It was 1980 when I found a kindred spirit, some one who loved to fish and did not mind doing the gutting, scaling and filleting. Above all the man could cook. A match made in heaven, some one who loves to eat meets someone who loves to cook. Now we both share type 2 Diabetes and we are are looking at salads and grilled fish. Goodbye my darling chips.
