It is hard to imagine a dish quite so quintessentially British as Fish & Chips. However, like so many of the ingredients and meals that we often take for granted, this “simple” meal has a complex and fascinating history. It is one, as you will find out, that takes us from Meso America to Ancient Greece and Rome, from there to Medieval Europe, Renaissance France and Victorian London, and along the way includes King’s and commoners in its journey to being wrapped in pages from yesterday’s newspapers. If nothing else, after hearing this talk, you’ll never look at a potato in quite the same way again.

Simon Majumdar is a world-renowned broadcaster, food writer, speaker, author and cook who has dedicated the second half of his time on this planet to fulfill his ambition to “Go Everywhere, Eat Everything.” It is a journey that has taken him to all fifty states and to dozens of countries around the world. He is currently the restaurant critic for Time Out Los Angeles and has written hundreds of articles for such outlets as The Guardian, Foodnetwork.com, The Times of London and Sauté Magazine. He has also written three books: “Eat My Globe” (2009), “Eating for Britain” (2011), and his latest book, “Fed, White and Blue” (2015), catalogs his journey to American citizenship. Simon is also a well-recognized television personality, regularly appearing on shows such as Iron Chef America, Guy’s Grocery Games, Cutthroat Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay, Cooks Vs Cons, The Next Iron Chef (Food Network), The Best Thing I Ever Ate (Food Network and Cooking Channel), and EAT: The Story of Food (Nat Geo). The second season of his new food history podcast, “Eat My Globe: Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know About Food,” produced in cooperation with the UCLA Department of History, premiered on April 1, 2019.