Hi Lizzie & crew

A very tasty thread....

I spend a lot of time in Menorca ( Spanish Balearic Island).

They have almost every kind of fresh fish that you can imagine. There is nothing better than fresh-caught fish cooked simply and eaten right in front of the water.

But for the Brits on a Friday one enterprising Spanish owned restaurant does fish and chips the English way....yes in batter.!!!!!

The fish and the chips are great but the Spanish just can't make mushy peas....!!

One day we persuaded the restaurant owner to have an English Folk night.....( no arguments about what kind of folk PLEASE).

We told him to put on his fish and chips and me my mate and our wives managed to find some dried peas in one of the shops and we made a big container of mushy peas.

Everyone praised the addition of the peas and the owner of the restaurant asked us if we were interested in supplying him with some.

My mate jokingly suggested that we two went into business by opening a Mushy Pea Factory.

Sorry to disagree with the non-vinegar lobby.....it's a must on hot sizzingly chips and fish.....yum yum

The island does have a folk club. It is held every night in a cave. No electrics....!!! Most if not all the songs are in Catalan or Menorcique ( a dialect of Catalan). There are some singers who sing in Spanish but they are in the minority.

I have been going there for over 25 years and the same man runs the bar and his guitarist has been with him all this time ( and much before we started going ). He is now in his 85th year.

I took some recordings on occasions and although the accoustics are not great....we sometimes open a bottle of Rioja and listen to our Spanish friends to remind us of many happy hors spent there.

cheers

Mike