Please settle this argument between me and ds...

[hippysair]

Walking past the local fish and chip shop on the way home from school the other day, I mentioned that next time we have chippy for tea, i'm going to ask for, chips and fish, with vinegar and salt. DS was not happy! (He's 6 btw) He said I can't, that it's not right! I am not allowed by him to ask for chips and fish in that order.
So when did it become not right?
WIBU to ask for chips and fish and not fish and chips?
Why are certain things said this way round anyway?
Cheese and onion?
Ant and Dec?
Salt and pepper?

Why do they sound so uncomfortable said the other way round?

So, AIBU?

I heard And and Dec stood the same way round as their names so people could tell them apart when they were younger.

YABU if you do not have scraps.

YABU

Your DS is right! You'll sound like a right weirdo and be an outcast in the community forever! What kind of Mother are you? calls social services

You cannae meddle with the ways of The Pairings - it tis as it is and asks ye no more questions...

Yabu, ds is right

YABVU - leave yourself!

Interesting. The first syllable is lightly stressed fish and chips, Salt and vinegar, suggesting a slight heirarchy - the stressed syllable is slightly more important. It would be silly really to suggest that the chips are more important than the fish, wouldn't it?! More popular maybe but not more significant.

You can say Salt and Pepper and stress both halves equally without becoming sqeeky, suggesting that they have equal status.

Not sure whether this will help you with DS, aged 6, but I do think that it gives Dec the right to feel miffed!

YANBU. Don't be a sheep!

Our local chippy covers chips in salt then loads of vinegar that washes the salt away so you get a soggy mess in the bottom.

So if you ask for a 'little' vinegar, and then salt, the server gets all huffy. I know I am not the only one to ask so dont know why she gets huffy

If you asked for chips and fish where I live you would get a portion of chips and your fish separately, and they would ask if you want chips with your fish. DS is right.

YABU.... it is always Fish and Chips... never the other way!

Technically, you're right about chips and fish as both amount and volume of Chips is greater than that of the Fish

You're wrong about vinegar and salt though as there should be a greater amount of salt than vinegar unless you're me and have the chips as a side dish to the vinegar

That wasn't really as serious an answer as it might sound. And I might be wrong, cause now I can say Fish n chips and stress the chips.

However, I agree. YABU

Oh literary reference - Shirley Valentine cooked "Chips and Egg" for her dh., having given his steak to the dog. Always sounds v. strange when she says it - far more of a problem than not having steak on hand!

if you ask for vinegar and salt it will be a nightmare.
The chips will be wet from the vinegar so the salt will stick to the chips at the top of the bag and not get distributed in any way to the rest of the chips.
You'll be disappointed and your kid will be smug

Fish is the main part, chips are the accompaniment to the fish.

Proudnscary - you are right. Could never say "White and black"!!

Must do some work . . . .

Fish & chips, Salt & vinegar.

DS is right.

But they are packaged up chips first, chips shoveled into paper/tray, with fish on top, so surely its chips and fish?
They don't put fish in then shovel chips all over it do they?

trying, unsuccessfully to fight my battle

But then it comes out of the bag fish first, hippysair...

If you want the nerdy answer, it's because of something called collocation, which you can read more about here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collocation

My uncle once went into the fish and child shop buying for a lot of family and sang: (12 days of Christmas)
"From the fish and chip shop I'd like to order for me:
6 cod and chips
5 jumbo sausages
4 portions of chips
3 steak pies
2 onion rings
And a potion of mushy peas"

The response: "Certainly, sir. Salt and vinegar?" My uncle said he obviously frequently had his customers singing their order.

It should be alphabetical unless one thing is significantly more important than the other.*

Eg: Fish and chips is correct as the chips accompany the meat and are less important and nutritional than the chips.
Salt and Vinger is correct as they are equally important and are alphabetical.

Therefore, with this same logic, if you are a couple you should be alphabetically referred to as Fred and Susan, or Abigail and Mark. Otherwise you are inferring one is more important.

*Disclaimer - this entire post is made up bullshit, but this is how I think it should be!!!

DeWe I would be very worried if my uncle went to a fish and child shop!

Or you could compromise and have chish and fips?

Your DS is right. Most significant component of the meal first, then accompaniments, in order of signifcance e.g. 'fish, chips and peas'.

You don't eat 'gravy, cabbage, roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings and beef' do you, your description starts with the main component.