Peter Spurway thinks I'm romanticizing Don "Fuzzy" Bacich's legendary crankiness about patrons who wanted to slather his delicious French fries with ketchup: “… and another bastion of quality and tradition falters.” Tradition, yes. Quality? No. Not providing something that many of your customers would like to have has nothing to do with quality. It has everything to do with the perspective of the owner. While I certainly grant the owner the right to fashion their product to their own liking, they have to accept that a percentage of their current and potential customers are not going to like it and it will be seen by...

08 July, 2013

This afternoon, in a move sure to flabbergast longtime French fry fans in Sydney, a worker at Fuzzy's Fries offered a patron a plastic packet of ketchup. Civilization, as we know it, may be in peril. Former owner Don "Fuzzy" Bacich, who founded the landmark chip wagon at The Esplanade and Townsend St. 40 years ago,* offered a selection of salt, pepper, and vinegar, but had no truck with ketchup. He knew his proud creations owed their universal acclaim to the golden simplicity of their potatoey goodness. A little salt? Certainly. Some vinegar? Sure. But to slather his chips with the garish, tomato-based condiment...

07 July, 2013

In response to yesterday's post about Merriam-Webster's vocabulary quiz, on which 60-year-olds leave younger word-users in their dust, Contrarian readers of various vintage have shared their scores. In alphabetical order: Andy Weissman (70+) 3420 Andrew Bourke (40-something) 3700 Anna Daniels (20-something): 3660 Blair MacKenzie (30-something): 3720 Charlie Phillips (50-something) 3660 Contrarian (sexagenarian): 3660 David Rodenhiser (5040-something) 3960* Elaine Fournier (40-something) 3700 Greg Lukeman (30-something) 3900** Jeffrey Shallit (50-something) 3900 John Denault (70+) 3720 Mike Targett (30-something) 3760 Peter Spurway (50-something): 3860 Shelley Porter (40-something): 3140*** Stan Jones (70+) 3800 Steve Manley (30-something): 3480 Suzanne MacNeil (20-somthing): 3400**** * Current raw score leader, verified by screenshot. ** Current leader on an age-adjusted basis. *** Ms. Porter has filed a protest...

17 March, 2013