Page 4 - Catálogo Amber Grill - 22.01

While in
Ireland
In Ireland, the first fish and chips were sold by an Italian
immigrant, Giuseppe Cervi. It was a lucky twist of a pure mistake, a
bit like Cristofaro Colombo landing in America and not in India. He
mistakenly stepped off an America-bound ship at Cobh or
Qeenstown, in co. Cork. “After watching his American dream set
sail, Giuseppe turned and set out on foot to find his fortune in
Ireland”. (5)
F From Cobh he walked all the way to Dublin and started working as
a labourer hoping to earn enough to buy a coal fired cooker and
handcart to go into business selling roasted chestnuts.
“ “While fish and chestnuts would have been unlikely to catch on,
we were spared having to find out thanks to a small but highly
significant mistake young Giuseppe made while selling his fare
outside the pubs of Dublin. Legend has it that one day instead of a
chestnut he mistakenly roasted a potato and quickly realised the
Irish knew a good spud when they tasted one. The course of
history had thankfully changed and Giuseppe soon opened
I
Irreland's first fish and chips shop on Great Brunswick Street
(now Pearse Street) beside Trinity College. Giuseppe ran the
chipper with his wife, Palma, whose lack of English gave Dubliners
a phrase still in use today. When customers arrived at the cash
register to pay Signora Cervi would point to the menu and ask,
"Uno di questo, uno di quello?" or "One of these, one of those?" (6)
03The Amber Grill (5, 6) (On National Fish&Chips day by John Costello, www.indipendent.ie)