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Brewer's Fayre

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Django Cat

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Feb 8, 2012, 8:05:01 AM2/8/12
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'Hand-battered fish and chips'.

I wonder what this actually involves....


DC

--

the Omrud

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Feb 8, 2012, 8:44:23 AM2/8/12
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On 08/02/2012 13:05, Django Cat wrote:
> 'Hand-battered fish and chips'.
>
> I wonder what this actually involves....

And how is it different from "Beer battered fish & chips"?

--
David

Peter Moylan

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Feb 8, 2012, 6:06:37 PM2/8/12
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Django Cat wrote:
> 'Hand-battered fish and chips'.
>
> I wonder what this actually involves....

They don't do it with a mallet.

--
Peter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org
For an e-mail address, see my web page.

Robert Bannister

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Feb 8, 2012, 6:44:40 PM2/8/12
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Usually battering a person or thing with your hand results in some
bruising. I understand "beer batter", but I'm not sure whether "beer
battered" actually means anything.

the Omrud

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Feb 9, 2012, 4:35:04 AM2/9/12
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How about just "battered"? That's what chip shops sell - "battered
fish". Beer (or you can just use carbonated water) makes the batter
light and crispy.

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/sep/29/how-cook-perfect-battered-fish>

--
David

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 6:02:18 AM2/9/12
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Peter Moylan wrote:

> Django Cat wrote:
> > 'Hand-battered fish and chips'.
> >
> > I wonder what this actually involves....
>
> They don't do it with a mallet.

I had a vision of grabbing the thing by its tail and battering it
against the work surface. Or hand battering may involve smearing batter
over the fish with the fingers. Neither sounds especially appetising...

DC


--

Donna Richoux

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Feb 9, 2012, 7:08:50 AM2/9/12
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Shelling peas is different from shelling the enemy's position.

Dicing carrots is different from dicing with death.

Battering fish is different from battering one's spouse.

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 7:32:28 AM2/9/12
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Confucious say 'woman who boil potatoes and peas in the same pot not
work as gag when written down. (But does save on the washing up)'.

DC

--

Stan Brown

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Feb 9, 2012, 8:14:13 AM2/9/12
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On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:05:01 GMT, Django Cat wrote:
>
> 'Hand-battered fish and chips'.
>
> I wonder what this actually involves....

Really? "To batter" can mean to commit mayhem upon (someone) or to
apply a liquid batter to (something).

If there's a joke in your article, I've missed it.

--
"The difference between the /almost right/ word and the /right/ word
is ... the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning."
--Mark Twain
Stan Brown, Tompkins County, NY, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com

Stan Brown

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Feb 9, 2012, 8:14:53 AM2/9/12
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That's the idea I was trying to convey, but you did it more
elegantly.

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 9:07:42 AM2/9/12
to
Stan Brown wrote:

> On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:05:01 GMT, Django Cat wrote:
> >
> > 'Hand-battered fish and chips'.
> >
> > I wonder what this actually involves....
>
> Really? "To batter" can mean to commit mayhem upon (someone) or to
> apply a liquid batter to (something).
>
> If there's a joke in your article, I've missed it.

It's from an online menu for a chain of pub/restaurants in the UK. I
suppose I posted it as an illustration of stupid menu language. While
'hand-' whatever suggests an artisanal approach to food preparation,
the hand application of batter to a piece of fish seems an odd thing to
advocate - simultaneously both messy and unhygienic and raising the
question 'well, how would you batter fish if not by hand?' It goes with
'home-cooked food' to which I always want to say 'no it isn't, it's
cooked in a semi-industrial professional kitchen out the back'.

I hope this helps.

DC

--


Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 9:13:03 AM2/9/12
to
Of course the answer - after some reflection - is that 'hand battered'
retains the caché of 'beer battered' but with the cost advantage that
you don't have to put any beer in your batter.

I'm wishing I hadn't started this one.

DC

--

Peter Brooks

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Feb 9, 2012, 9:18:34 AM2/9/12
to
On Feb 9, 3:08 pm, t...@euronet.nl (Donna Richoux) wrote:
>
>
> Battering fish is different from battering one's spouse.
>
Unless you marry a mermaid.

Steve Hayes

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Feb 9, 2012, 9:27:33 AM2/9/12
to
On Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:13:03 GMT, "Django Cat" <nota...@address.com> wrote:

>Of course the answer - after some reflection - is that 'hand battered'
>retains the caché of 'beer battered' but with the cost advantage that
>you don't have to put any beer in your batter.

Oy!


--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

Peter Brooks

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Feb 9, 2012, 9:23:08 AM2/9/12
to
On Feb 9, 3:08 pm, t...@euronet.nl (Donna Richoux) wrote:
>
>
> Battering fish is different from battering one's spouse.
>

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 9:31:30 AM2/9/12
to
Steve Hayes wrote:

> On Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:13:03 GMT, "Django Cat" <nota...@address.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Of course the answer - after some reflection - is that 'hand
> > battered' retains the caché of 'beer battered' but with the cost
> > advantage that you don't have to put any beer in your batter.
>
> Oy!

I'll be darned. YLAL. Rest assured I will spend the next ten minutes
standing in the corner and will consider this a learning experience.
And then continue writing a book for people learning English...

DC

--

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 9:37:03 AM2/9/12
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She'd be a battered wife...

--

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 9:37:15 AM2/9/12
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Something fishy going on here...

--

Donna Richoux

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Feb 9, 2012, 2:47:00 PM2/9/12
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Django Cat <nota...@address.com> wrote:

> Stan Brown wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:05:01 GMT, Django Cat wrote:
> > >
> > > 'Hand-battered fish and chips'.
> > >
> > > I wonder what this actually involves....
> >
> > Really? "To batter" can mean to commit mayhem upon (someone) or to
> > apply a liquid batter to (something).
> >
> > If there's a joke in your article, I've missed it.
>
> It's from an online menu for a chain of pub/restaurants in the UK. I
> suppose I posted it as an illustration of stupid menu language. While
> 'hand-' whatever suggests an artisanal approach to food preparation,
> the hand application of batter to a piece of fish seems an odd thing to
> advocate - simultaneously both messy and unhygienic and raising the
> question 'well, how would you batter fish if not by hand?'

A battering machine. Plenty of pictures at Google Images.

> It goes with
> 'home-cooked food' to which I always want to say 'no it isn't, it's
> cooked in a semi-industrial professional kitchen out the back'.

Rumour has it we would horrified to learn how many restaurant meals are
of the factory-made heat-and-serve variety.

--
Best -- Donna Richoux

John Varela

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Feb 9, 2012, 3:13:32 PM2/9/12
to
On Thu, 9 Feb 2012 11:02:18 UTC, "Django Cat" <nota...@address.com>
wrote:

> Peter Moylan wrote:
>
> > Django Cat wrote:
> > > 'Hand-battered fish and chips'.
> > >
> > > I wonder what this actually involves....
> >
> > They don't do it with a mallet.
>
> I had a vision of grabbing the thing by its tail and battering it
> against the work surface.

That's what they do with octopodes.

> Or hand battering may involve smearing batter
> over the fish with the fingers.

More likely punching, or perhaps poking.

--
John Varela

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 3:54:38 PM2/9/12
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John Varela wrote:

> On Thu, 9 Feb 2012 11:02:18 UTC, "Django Cat" <nota...@address.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Peter Moylan wrote:
> >
> > > Django Cat wrote:
> > > > 'Hand-battered fish and chips'.
> > > >
> > > > I wonder what this actually involves....
> > >
> > > They don't do it with a mallet.
> >
> > I had a vision of grabbing the thing by its tail and battering it
> > against the work surface.
>
> That's what they do with octopodes.
>

Ah, to pick up another thread, octopodes with broccilodes.

DC

--

Peter Duncanson (BrE)

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Feb 9, 2012, 4:45:29 PM2/9/12
to
On Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:54:38 GMT, "Django Cat" <nota...@address.com>
wrote:
In the antipodes.

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 5:13:25 PM2/9/12
to
I suppose calling food prepared on the premises 'home cooked' in those
circumstances might be accurate, but it's pretty cynical.

DC

--

Peter Moylan

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Feb 9, 2012, 5:17:10 PM2/9/12
to
Mm, beer-battered mermaid.

franzi

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Feb 9, 2012, 5:33:29 PM2/9/12
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Django Cat <nota...@address.com> wrote
A true princess always gets out of bed for a pea.
--
franzi
a salt and battery person, when it comes to fish-and-chips

Peter Young

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Feb 9, 2012, 5:39:52 PM2/9/12
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A cafe, near where I get the bus home from the centre of Cheltenham,
advertises "fresh-cooked food". On several occasions, while waiting
for the bus, I have seen a delivery man delivering copious quantities
of packs of frozen catering dishes. As I understand UK law, if you
advertise "fresh-cooked" food, this can be because you've added, for
instance, parsley garnish to a bought frozen dish. I've never been
tempted to eat there"!

Peter.

--
Peter Young, (BrE, RP), Consultant Anaesthetist, 1975-2004.
(US equivalent: Certified Anesthesiologist)
Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK. Now happily retired.
http://pnyoung.orpheusweb.co.uk

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 5:59:44 PM2/9/12
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Hmm. Again, I suppose it was fresh-cooked... once.

DC


--

Django Cat

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Feb 9, 2012, 6:06:42 PM2/9/12
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Donna Richoux wrote:

> > It's from an online menu for a chain of pub/restaurants in the UK. I
> > suppose I posted it as an illustration of stupid menu language.
> > While 'hand-' whatever suggests an artisanal approach to food
> > preparation, the hand application of batter to a piece of fish
> > seems an odd thing to advocate - simultaneously both messy and
> > unhygienic and raising the question 'well, how would you batter
> > fish if not by hand?'
>
> A battering machine. Plenty of pictures at Google Images.

Probably time to mention this again:

http://www.bartleby.com/105/74.html

Still makes me chuckle, along with 'Gladly, the cross-eyed bear'. (That
one doesn't work written down, either).

DC

--

Robert Bannister

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Feb 9, 2012, 8:46:42 PM2/9/12
to
Interesting article even though I don't really like batter any more -
loved it as a child, but not these days. My objection was linguistic: I
understand "battered fish" and I understand "beer batter", but I am
dubious about "beer battered" which, to my mind, sounds like "battered
with beer" rather than "battered with beer batter". Of course, these
days, they have batters in cricket or at least they think they can
bat... ramble...ramble...

--
Robert Bannister

Robert Bannister

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Feb 9, 2012, 8:49:06 PM2/9/12
to
On 9/02/12 10:13 PM, Django Cat wrote:
> the Omrud wrote:
>
>> On 08/02/2012 13:05, Django Cat wrote:
>>> 'Hand-battered fish and chips'.
>>>
>>> I wonder what this actually involves....
>>
>> And how is it different from "Beer battered fish& chips"?
>
> Of course the answer - after some reflection - is that 'hand battered'
> retains the caché of 'beer battered' but with the cost advantage that
> you don't have to put any beer in your batter.
>
> I'm wishing I hadn't started this one.

So you are suggesting that "hand battered" implies a finger in the
mixture or is it just a thumbs up for battering?


--
Robert Bannister

Walter P. Zähl

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Feb 10, 2012, 3:19:29 PM2/10/12
to
When I saw the headline "Son killed mother with bat" I thought of vampires
and was confused.

/Walter

Steve Hayes

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Feb 11, 2012, 2:18:36 AM2/11/12
to
On 10 Feb 2012 20:19:29 GMT, Walter P. Zähl <spams...@zaehl.de> wrote:

>When I saw the headline "Son killed mother with bat" I thought of vampires
>and was confused.

When all the while it was a hockey bat.

Jolly hockey sticks, what what.

Dr Nick

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Feb 12, 2012, 12:53:36 PM2/12/12
to
I'd expect, in this case, for it to mean "we didn't buy ready battered
frozen fish, we bought (possibly frozen fish) and dipped it in fresh
batter before frying it". As with "home cooked", it doesn't mean what
it says but it does suggest that the food has been made from ingredients
on the premises rather than just reheated after being made in a
fully-industrial plant. It's not that easy to find a quick and easy way
of saying this, so I think we ought to cut them a bit of slack here.
--
Online waterways route planner | http://canalplan.eu
Plan trips, see photos, check facilities | http://canalplan.org.uk
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