Brits Tell Fishing Poles to Stop Carping!
Today on the BBC I heard that over 1 million Polish citizens have left their native land to search for better jobs. Many have gone to Western Europe; so many in fact that two years ago, when the Poland joined the EU, the mythical "Polish Plumber" became a symbol for the influx of cheap labor that could suppress wages and take jobs away from workers in the more advanced member economies like France and the UK. No one thought much at the time about the dietary preferences of Polish plumbers or nurses or travel agents, let alone the impact said preferences could have on the environment . They are thinking about it now:
Tucking into a succulent turkey is the traditional way of celebrating Christmas in Britain. But to make sure tens of thousands of Poles living here do not feel homesick when they sit down for their festive dinner, one supermarket chain is selling carp. Carp is a delicacy in Poland - traditionally served up on December 24.
Sounds like the basic economic love story- When Supply Met Demand. But like all good stories, there's always a catch, in this case quite literally a catch:
Such is their appetite for the fish - generally considered inedible by Britons - that Eastern European immigrants have become embroiled in a row with English anglers over the number being caught and killed. Anglers have also demanded tough new laws to prevent poachers depleting British rivers of carp.
Proving that British government can be just as responsive as British business, anglers got more than new laws for all their carping about carp-depleting fishing Poles. They also got enforcement; they got the Carp Cops:
Earlier this month the Environment Agency spent £150,000 on a 150-strong squad of anti-poaching officers, equipped with stab vests, batons, handcuffs and powers of arrest, to patrol riverbanks. ... One police force arrested four immigrants with a spear gun near a lake stocked with protected carp. The Environment Agency admitted that problems have been reported at most rivers, and prosecutions for serious fishing crimes have tripled in three years.
Just to be clear, though they are apparently a very tough bunch the Carp Cops didn't use a spear gun to arrest the four immigrants. Rather, they arrested four immigrants who had a spear gun. Or at least that's their story and they're sticking to it.
And while British anglers remain skeptical about whether fishing Poles and Czechs will pay for rather than poach their carp, the grocery chain Sainsburys only cares if they pay with cash or checks:
...Sainsbury's has announced it will cater for up to 600,000 Poles in Britain by selling carp in 35 stores. They will take a one-off delivery on December 22 - in the nick of time for the festive celebrations. The fresh fish will come from a farm in France, said a spokeswoman. She said: "We are introducing a number of Polish lines into selected stores, including carp, to meet the increasing demand. This demand is not solely from the Polish community - we are as a nation very keen to try out new foods and we expect many of our customers will enjoy this."
For anyone of my UK readers who are feeling so very keen, here is how you prepare Christmas Eve carp:
Ingredients: 1-3/4lb carp; 4 cups vegetable stock; 4 peppercorns; 3 bay leaves; 1 tbsp gelatin; 2 tbsp water; 1 egg white, salt, pepper.Directions: Clean fish and remove head. Cook head and spices in vegetable stock for half-hour. Strain. Place whole fish in pan. Cover with strained stock and simmer until tender. Remove fish and place on serving platter. Add beaten egg white to stock and bring to boil. Strain through napkin twice. Dissolve gelatin in water, add stock. Pour over cooled fish. Garnish with carrot, hard boiled eggs, and lemon slices.
Anyone know how to say "Yummy" in Polish?
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Tags: Poland | uk | England | carp | Fishing | sainsbury | sainsburys |
Comments
Interesting read!..thanks so much for the link!..:)
Posted by: Angel![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.thebusinessofamericaisbusiness.biz/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 26, 2006 8:02 PM