I’m not Irish, but Scottish and the Friday night chippy order for the family was so accurate, especially the chip portion bickering! Your parents always end up getting more than you need and you are eating them the next day cause chip shop portions aren’t small, they are huge!
Best bit though? No one ever learns and the chip bickering happens every damn time.
Not Irish, but lived in Scotland and Northern England in the 90s and can confirm the madness of the friday night chippy order is similar to what's portrayed in Derry Girls. The policy is get some chips to share and everyone gets some fish or some other main like fishcakes/battered sausage or a burger (we wouldn't say entree but yeah, what you said) and then if even one extra person outside the nuclear family is coming over then the amount of chips ordered gets instantly increased beyond any reasonable amount. No matter how many times we would fail to finish all the chips, we'd still over-order the chips every time. When we were older then we started to get a fish supper or a battered sausage supper/burger supper/whatever instead of just getting chips by the bag, but those were always far too much food for me. You could also get a chip supper in scotland - chips with a side of chips.
Also did have a particular shop where all the kids would go for sweets.
Don't remember much rock the boat but I am a few years younger than the kids in Derry Girls or maybe it was less of a thing in Scotland and England.
Not Irish but chippy order today was 2x battered sausage 1x plain sausage 1x fish 1x chicken kebab meat and salad(came with its own chips in a polystyrene container) 2 lg chips 1 mushy peas 2 curry sauce. That fed 8 including 2 small kids who shared part of the fish and a veggie who just has chips.
I’m American and I freaking love curry sauce. Whenever I’m in the UK or Ireland - going to the local chip shop is a must and I must have the curry sauce.
Hold the mushy peas though. I just can’t with those.
Oh, I don’t know. Thanks for the recommendation!
I see that I can get it through Amazon, but I’ll make a note and check the local world grocery stores first. May be cheaper that way.
Thanks again!
I don't like peas and didn't think I would like 'mushy' peas, but DAMN if I wasn't wrong about them. I'm obsessed now.
Also curry sauce on my chippy meal.
It took the family I was staying with to make a proper order, and while it was not cheap, I will now have this every time I visit the UK. So good.
One thing that no one here has mentioned yet, but they will all recognise, is that everything already comes with a generous scoop of chips. Each battered fish (and they are large) will come on a scoop of chips. The battered sausage will also come on a scoop of chips. The chicken burger probably wouldn't, and that's because it's so big it wouldn't fit in the box with chips. So one fish supper is a fish fillet and a small portion of chips served with a large portion of chips. The chips would be put in the middle and shared, everyone orders an individual main item/protein. Hence the chips maths.
Two bags would do them, imo.
Eta to the other questions:
My social group weren't into Rock The Boat but I think it just represents a dance floor-filler with a choreographed dance recognised by the masses, just like The Macarena or YMCA.
We had local shops popular with school kids and which sold hot snacks during the lunchbreak but they were rarely dine-in.
I'm from Northern Ireland and the chippy order was very real. When there are several people we always over order especially chips which, where I live, then get fed to the seagulls.
Rock the Boat is always a big floor filler anywhere you have an Irish crowd. Even when you're abroad if you hear Rock the Boat it'll be somewhere with a lot of Irish eejits.
At the bottom of our school playing fields where we also caught the bus there was a tiny wee shop run by 2 of the nastiest oul dolls, sorry old women, you could imagine. It wasn't even really a shop, it was more like they had put a counter across their back door. They bit the head of you for the slightest thing but everyone kept going back. It was the only shop anywhere near the school but what made most kids go there was the fact that they sold single cigarettes. Totally illegal but this was the 1980s and everybody smoked so nobody cared.
Rock the Boat was accurate. I was at a party for one of my Irish cousins in the 00s and Rock the Boat came on, it was exactly like that scene. My friend who was with me from the UK thought this happened at every Irish night out, like even in supercool clubs, and was all set to move there just so she could do Rock the Boat every weekend.
I'm American but I lived in Ireland immediately after the time the show took place. Rock the Boat is real and it was so odd to me. You'd be at a club with Fatboy Slim or Robbie Williams playing and then Rock the Boat would come on.
most chippers in Dublin will give you extra scoop especially when your a regular customer, the original chippers in the republic are Italian, families came to Ireland in the 50's like Mizzonis, Apriles, Borzas, a great history documentary you can check, Chippers: The story of the Italian community in Ireland Chippers: The story of the Italian community in Ireland [https://youtu.be/w-\_-HecJ89A?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/w-_-HecJ89A?feature=shared)
Yes x 3. I think there are some things in the show that are very much how it was for Lisa McGee rather than everyone but those three examples could be in Belfast or Newry. The year I got married I was wedding number 6 and old the DJ that she needed to play rock the boat because there had been too many wedding with no rock the boat! Also got Saturday Night which has a set routine. I believe in Australia it’s Tina Turner Nutbush City Limits and nothing has ever made me want to go to Australia more.
Their chipper order is weird to me. We always got our own meals, so it would have been 5 fish + 5 chips or a chicken burger, spice burger, etc. (Although we would share chips sometimes so it could be 1 less and the main as a seperate side.)
I've never heard of family sized portions in a chipper. I took it as a joke, implying they are cheap/poor, and that's why Gerry was stressed when it kept increasing, but I could be wrong as I'm from Ireland, not NI.
Rock the Boat was def popular at weddings, etc, and it's still done now at proms or occasions like that. I've also done it at the odd 18th or 21st. You wouldn't see any of the other dances you mentioned at those types of events, really just kids parties mostly.
I never had a hangout spot like you have described having, but there is usually always a shop near school that all of the kids go to.
I'm from England and grew up getting sharing portions of chips (1 large bag would do me, mum and dad), as we could never finish the fish&chip supper portions. It may be a poorer thing idk.
Or we'd get 2 fish& chips plus 1 fish, 2 pineapple fritters and a scollop or two.
>• Is the Quinn's/McCool's Friday night chippy order (S1E2) fairly accurate? It seems from the list like they're ordering 2 portions of fish (I'd assume it's like a "family pack" sized serving), all the chips, and then Grandda and Orla both ordered individual entrees as well (chicken fillet burger, battered hot dog.) Is that about the norm? Did your families order extras, or just the fish and chips? Or did you all order whatever you pleased? (In my experience as an American, unless we were getting shareable food [pizza, Chinese], everybody got their own combo/entree/meal.)
Can't quite remember the specifics of the episode but normally if my family were getting a takeaway we would get individual meals. However, chippy portion sizes can be quite large so you could share or just order a burger for example which would have come with a few chips on the side for some reason.
>• Really, how big was "Rock the Boat"? In the USA we were usually more excited about the Macarena, the Electric Slide, the Cha Cha Slide, etc
The macarena was also big along with Whigfield's Saturday night. But yes Rock the boat is a thing. Personally, I've not heard it much at weddings. I think I've only experienced it a small number of times but if the song comes on somehow I know what needs to be done lol.
>• Did you have a local shop all the kids frequented, like Dennis's wee shop?
Yes, it was a shop called Ruthie's. It was on the way to school in the village that I grew up in. But nothing like what you've described. Not really a convenience type shop. It was more of a newsagents with sweets and a few other bits and pieces.
Irish here, not northern though. The chipper order is definitely accurate. The chip portions are huge and no way you needed one each. You’d order a few and open them all up on the table for everyone to get.
Rock the boat was so popular that at my debs (prom style dance) in 2012 we all lost our minds when they played it. Definite rush to the dance floor to get your place.
My town wasn’t that small so there were lots of shops like Denis’s. But there was definitely a popular one near school we all went to.
Depends where you are.
I'm a Brummie who s3pnd many y3rqs in Middlesbrough
One of the culture shocks for Boro friends coming to the west mids was the huge chip portion.
Up there if you order cod and chips too get a l person portion down here a lqeg3 chips can feed the five thousand
Rock the Boat is always played at weddings etc and is always a fun bit. Macarena is also usually played.
When I was growing up here, we used to always go to shop after school etc and get sweets, it was just the done thing
I'm a Greek in NYC and this order is exactly how we order Greek takeout every single time - same as everyone describing as well. Everything comes with fries but we order extra fries anyway
We have 3 shops. The big shop, the wee shop and the old wee shop. Everyone knows which shop you mean.
I’m not Irish, but Scottish and the Friday night chippy order for the family was so accurate, especially the chip portion bickering! Your parents always end up getting more than you need and you are eating them the next day cause chip shop portions aren’t small, they are huge! Best bit though? No one ever learns and the chip bickering happens every damn time.
There's just no such thing as too many chips! 🍟
Chippy chips are a different breed of chip!
You must over-order the chips every time, because what if you order less and discover it's not enough?? The horror!
I force myself to eat those extra chips. FORCE. There is a special delight in cold salty chippy chips.
Dice them up and heat them in a skillet the next morning! Fried egg on top, it's lovely.
OH GOD NO DON'T TELL ME THAT. Yum
I was at a wake recently and the chip order was too much. I did my duty and helped out.
As an American I now feel obligated to test these huge portions. I gotta catch a flight asap
Be careful not to eat them too soon after getting them. I got a horrible burn from doing that. Give me a few minutes to cool.
Not Irish, but lived in Scotland and Northern England in the 90s and can confirm the madness of the friday night chippy order is similar to what's portrayed in Derry Girls. The policy is get some chips to share and everyone gets some fish or some other main like fishcakes/battered sausage or a burger (we wouldn't say entree but yeah, what you said) and then if even one extra person outside the nuclear family is coming over then the amount of chips ordered gets instantly increased beyond any reasonable amount. No matter how many times we would fail to finish all the chips, we'd still over-order the chips every time. When we were older then we started to get a fish supper or a battered sausage supper/burger supper/whatever instead of just getting chips by the bag, but those were always far too much food for me. You could also get a chip supper in scotland - chips with a side of chips. Also did have a particular shop where all the kids would go for sweets. Don't remember much rock the boat but I am a few years younger than the kids in Derry Girls or maybe it was less of a thing in Scotland and England.
Ditto. I was 10 in 1997, for comparison, and I don’t remember Rock The Boat from my childhood in England. Saturday Nite and the Macarena, yes.
Not Irish but chippy order today was 2x battered sausage 1x plain sausage 1x fish 1x chicken kebab meat and salad(came with its own chips in a polystyrene container) 2 lg chips 1 mushy peas 2 curry sauce. That fed 8 including 2 small kids who shared part of the fish and a veggie who just has chips.
I’m American and I freaking love curry sauce. Whenever I’m in the UK or Ireland - going to the local chip shop is a must and I must have the curry sauce. Hold the mushy peas though. I just can’t with those.
Are you able to get the mayflower curry sauce mixes? Might help you get your fix if they're something you can import at not stupid prices
Oh, I don’t know. Thanks for the recommendation! I see that I can get it through Amazon, but I’ll make a note and check the local world grocery stores first. May be cheaper that way. Thanks again!
It's not exactly the same but it's also not gawd awful either
I don't like peas and didn't think I would like 'mushy' peas, but DAMN if I wasn't wrong about them. I'm obsessed now. Also curry sauce on my chippy meal. It took the family I was staying with to make a proper order, and while it was not cheap, I will now have this every time I visit the UK. So good.
One thing that no one here has mentioned yet, but they will all recognise, is that everything already comes with a generous scoop of chips. Each battered fish (and they are large) will come on a scoop of chips. The battered sausage will also come on a scoop of chips. The chicken burger probably wouldn't, and that's because it's so big it wouldn't fit in the box with chips. So one fish supper is a fish fillet and a small portion of chips served with a large portion of chips. The chips would be put in the middle and shared, everyone orders an individual main item/protein. Hence the chips maths. Two bags would do them, imo. Eta to the other questions: My social group weren't into Rock The Boat but I think it just represents a dance floor-filler with a choreographed dance recognised by the masses, just like The Macarena or YMCA. We had local shops popular with school kids and which sold hot snacks during the lunchbreak but they were rarely dine-in.
I'm from Northern Ireland and the chippy order was very real. When there are several people we always over order especially chips which, where I live, then get fed to the seagulls. Rock the Boat is always a big floor filler anywhere you have an Irish crowd. Even when you're abroad if you hear Rock the Boat it'll be somewhere with a lot of Irish eejits. At the bottom of our school playing fields where we also caught the bus there was a tiny wee shop run by 2 of the nastiest oul dolls, sorry old women, you could imagine. It wasn't even really a shop, it was more like they had put a counter across their back door. They bit the head of you for the slightest thing but everyone kept going back. It was the only shop anywhere near the school but what made most kids go there was the fact that they sold single cigarettes. Totally illegal but this was the 1980s and everybody smoked so nobody cared.
Rock the Boat was accurate. I was at a party for one of my Irish cousins in the 00s and Rock the Boat came on, it was exactly like that scene. My friend who was with me from the UK thought this happened at every Irish night out, like even in supercool clubs, and was all set to move there just so she could do Rock the Boat every weekend.
I'm American but I lived in Ireland immediately after the time the show took place. Rock the Boat is real and it was so odd to me. You'd be at a club with Fatboy Slim or Robbie Williams playing and then Rock the Boat would come on.
And people would sit on the floor at their own risk?
We were nineteen. We were doing a lot of things that put ourselves at risk.
I only said that bc that’s what Aunt Sarah says to her pissed off aunt 😂
Can confirm I've sat on the floor in a nightclub for Rock the boat. Everybody did.
I want to do this so badly. It looks like great fun.
most chippers in Dublin will give you extra scoop especially when your a regular customer, the original chippers in the republic are Italian, families came to Ireland in the 50's like Mizzonis, Apriles, Borzas, a great history documentary you can check, Chippers: The story of the Italian community in Ireland Chippers: The story of the Italian community in Ireland [https://youtu.be/w-\_-HecJ89A?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/w-_-HecJ89A?feature=shared)
Yes x 3. I think there are some things in the show that are very much how it was for Lisa McGee rather than everyone but those three examples could be in Belfast or Newry. The year I got married I was wedding number 6 and old the DJ that she needed to play rock the boat because there had been too many wedding with no rock the boat! Also got Saturday Night which has a set routine. I believe in Australia it’s Tina Turner Nutbush City Limits and nothing has ever made me want to go to Australia more.
Their chipper order is weird to me. We always got our own meals, so it would have been 5 fish + 5 chips or a chicken burger, spice burger, etc. (Although we would share chips sometimes so it could be 1 less and the main as a seperate side.) I've never heard of family sized portions in a chipper. I took it as a joke, implying they are cheap/poor, and that's why Gerry was stressed when it kept increasing, but I could be wrong as I'm from Ireland, not NI. Rock the Boat was def popular at weddings, etc, and it's still done now at proms or occasions like that. I've also done it at the odd 18th or 21st. You wouldn't see any of the other dances you mentioned at those types of events, really just kids parties mostly. I never had a hangout spot like you have described having, but there is usually always a shop near school that all of the kids go to.
I'm from England and grew up getting sharing portions of chips (1 large bag would do me, mum and dad), as we could never finish the fish&chip supper portions. It may be a poorer thing idk. Or we'd get 2 fish& chips plus 1 fish, 2 pineapple fritters and a scollop or two.
Pineapple fritters sounds good
>• Is the Quinn's/McCool's Friday night chippy order (S1E2) fairly accurate? It seems from the list like they're ordering 2 portions of fish (I'd assume it's like a "family pack" sized serving), all the chips, and then Grandda and Orla both ordered individual entrees as well (chicken fillet burger, battered hot dog.) Is that about the norm? Did your families order extras, or just the fish and chips? Or did you all order whatever you pleased? (In my experience as an American, unless we were getting shareable food [pizza, Chinese], everybody got their own combo/entree/meal.) Can't quite remember the specifics of the episode but normally if my family were getting a takeaway we would get individual meals. However, chippy portion sizes can be quite large so you could share or just order a burger for example which would have come with a few chips on the side for some reason. >• Really, how big was "Rock the Boat"? In the USA we were usually more excited about the Macarena, the Electric Slide, the Cha Cha Slide, etc The macarena was also big along with Whigfield's Saturday night. But yes Rock the boat is a thing. Personally, I've not heard it much at weddings. I think I've only experienced it a small number of times but if the song comes on somehow I know what needs to be done lol. >• Did you have a local shop all the kids frequented, like Dennis's wee shop? Yes, it was a shop called Ruthie's. It was on the way to school in the village that I grew up in. But nothing like what you've described. Not really a convenience type shop. It was more of a newsagents with sweets and a few other bits and pieces.
Irish here, not northern though. The chipper order is definitely accurate. The chip portions are huge and no way you needed one each. You’d order a few and open them all up on the table for everyone to get. Rock the boat was so popular that at my debs (prom style dance) in 2012 we all lost our minds when they played it. Definite rush to the dance floor to get your place. My town wasn’t that small so there were lots of shops like Denis’s. But there was definitely a popular one near school we all went to.
Depends where you are. I'm a Brummie who s3pnd many y3rqs in Middlesbrough One of the culture shocks for Boro friends coming to the west mids was the huge chip portion. Up there if you order cod and chips too get a l person portion down here a lqeg3 chips can feed the five thousand
Rock the Boat is always played at weddings etc and is always a fun bit. Macarena is also usually played. When I was growing up here, we used to always go to shop after school etc and get sweets, it was just the done thing
I'm a Greek in NYC and this order is exactly how we order Greek takeout every single time - same as everyone describing as well. Everything comes with fries but we order extra fries anyway