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Netherlands fishmongers accuse herring-tasters of erring
- grenoire 9y agoEconomist authors are trying especially hard with puns these days.
- reillyse 9y agoYea they are not bad, but cod do batter.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- Cthulhu_ 9y agoThis is about herring, not lekkerbekjes / kibbeling :p
- klmr 9y agoAw you really missed a chance there: you could have deplored their fishing for puns.
- dagw 9y agoEconomist authors have always been big on puns and word play. It's one of the newspaper's quirky charms (as is its instance on calling itself a newspaper and not a magazine).
- eru 9y agoThe name itself is also quirky old-timey: 'economist' had a different meaning when they started. (If memory serves right, it meant someone who economises and figuratively what we'd call a fiscal-conservative today.)
- dvanduzer 9y agoWell, the headline rhymes, which is clever, and maybe a bit too on the nose, but... > "Mr Vollaard’s study has blown the lid off the sealed world of Dutch herring. Fishmongers who long suspected the judge of bias towards Atlantic now say the test is rotten." No puns there. > "But the charges of belangenverstrengeling (conflict of interest) have left the test’s reputation for impartiality gutted." Wait, is the definition of "pun" just that you're using words with a double meaning? Rhyming "funny" in place of the original word isn't the main example of the art? > "No food is more loved." Okay, I haven't been to the Netherlands in like 400 years, but I know this isn't true.
- wjnc 9y ago-Rotten - both in use for fish and tests -Blown the lid - Herring comes in caskets -Gutted - obviously fish-related Pretty smart writing!
- dvanduzer 9y ago> Gritty tart biting! ^ So to be clear... That wasn't me making a pun, right?
- snaily 9y agoNope, not in the majority's book - you need to pass a bar of topical cleverness in order to qualify as a pun. Though, anecdotally, I've seen the type of wordplay you demonstrate referred to as a pun among English speakers in South East Asia. Where do you hail from?
- dvanduzer 9y agoLos Angeles, descended from early 17th century Dutch colonists. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I must admit to feigning confusion about the definition of puns; I was keying into the original commenter's complaint that the author was trying too hard on the pun front. So I quoted examples of what I thought were exemplary wordplay (i.e. not particularly forced puns).
- 9y ago
- richchurcher 9y agoTotal lack of net neutrality.
- amelius 9y agoPaywalled
- Kodix 9y agoGood lord, the author is having way too much fun with this article. >Smell them and weep >herring-tasters of erring >the Dutch were shocked when accusations surfaced in November that there was something rotten about the national herring test >Mr Vollaard’s study has blown the lid off the sealed world of Dutch herring. >Fishmongers [...] now say the test is rotten. >The judge and Atlantic say they have been smeared, and that the statistical evidence is a red herring. >But the charges [...] have left the test’s reputation for impartiality gutted.
- dep_b 9y agoNot mentioned in the article but the winner of this test had an apartment above his store conveniently rented to...you'll never guess... I don't have a cat anymore so I don't really miss reading newspapers.
- posterboy 9y agoindeed, never
- bkor 9y ago> Two who received low ratings have vowed to sue the Algemeen Dagblad for defamation. Interestingly, that same newspaper (AD) also runs another highly popular test about: oliebollen (fried snack mostly eaten on or just before New Year's eve). Being first (or even top 5) on that test means huge queues (loads of customers). From what I read about that test it's a blind test. Meaning: the testers do not know where an "oliebol" is from. It's quite strange that there's such a big difference in the setup of these tests. AD also has a test for fries. No clue how that test is setup (blind test or not). I tried a place they rated a 9 score and it was good, but was NOT worth a 9.
- sjmulder 9y agoOne year, the fries from a place nearby were rated as one of the worst (second to last, if I recall correctly). I always thought they were fine. We went to try the worst-tested place when we happened to be in the area, and _those_ were genuinely terrible.
- misterdata 9y agoI'm also skeptical about how constant the quality of the fries from one place will be. If, as I suspect, there is a large amount of variation over time, this test is useless and more like a lottery.
- djrogers 9y agoNot sure why you'd expect that much variation - a good fry shop can make consistent and distinctive frites day after day. I don't know what all goes in to making them like that, but I've experienced it first hand...
- fian 9y agoThe frequency of cooking oil change has a large impact on the taste of the fried food. Some places will keep using the same oil for a few days, only filtering it each day. Fries from a day when the oil is changed could be great while 2 days later they will taste crap.
- bayesian_horse 9y agoFisherman's Fritz fishes fresh fishes...
- peterwwillis 9y ago> In the Netherlands haring must be lightly salted for preservation but otherwise raw, dipped in minced onion and accompanied with a pickle. For the uninitiated this is the best way to eat them, as it is effectively Dutch sushi.
- momania 9y agoOpinions differ here. It's said that onions were added to deflect the salty taste, as much salt was used in the old days for preservation. As we now have deep freezers and shipments on ice, there is no or less salt used, so no need for onions. I've also heard stories that onions where added to deflect the smell and taste of old herring in the olden days. Some people still like it with onions though, but I'd prefer without (and also without pickle)
- hencq 9y agoThe pickle is a regional thing. In Rotterdam we eat them just with onion. I was surprised to discover about the pickles when I got one in Amsterdam.
- lucb1e 9y agoLimburger here. Had no idea that pickles were a thing at all, I also thought it was with onions.
- Fnoord 9y agoIn Amsterdam, Purmerend, and Volendam you'll get the question "ui 'n zuur d'r bij?" [1] in an almost incomprehensible Volendams accent. I got zero credit though; my accent ain't from that region. Instead of going for the volume deal like 4 for price of 3 I recommend to eat one with bread and water. Else they're too salty and you'll be thirsty or get stomach issues. YMMV. [1] "onion and sour with it?" where sour means pickles.
- dkersten 9y agoNitpick, but sushi is about the vinegared rice. You can have vegetable sushi. The raw fish is "sashimi".
- stevekemp 9y agoSomething is rotten in the state of Denmark? Hamlet strikes again!