After probably 20 years, I returned to a staple of my youth.
When you are a kid, you go where your parents take you. My parents, wanting me to be well-rounded, took me to Long John Silvers every once in a while. My love of fried seafood began here.
The plank ramps leading in, the rope railings and door handles, the funny sailor hats worn by the employees…some of my best memories of fine dining are there.
I usually got the chicken plank dinner or the two-piece fish with fries and extra crumblies*. There was a huge bottle of Malt Vinegar on the table to generously splash on the fries and fish.
(*crumblies were just extra breading that is broken off in the fryer…they strain them out of the oil and put them in a bowl and serve them as a side dish…I’m not sure of their dietary value, but they sure tasted good)
But something happened…I didn’t intend to stop going there…I just did…and after a while, I didn’t think about it anymore.
Tonight though, the air dripping with nostalgia, with my kids and never-been-there-before wife in tow…I returned and dined on the chicken and fish dinner with just fries. (I didn’t have the guts to go for the extra crumblies…saying “extra crumblies” as a grown man seemed silly) The Malt Vinegar was right where I’d left it. The kids loved it. I said “Ahoy, Matey!” every two minutes or so to keep the excitement in the air.
It was wonderful. I can’t wait to go back.
