RE: SIGN MANS PICTURES - 2

VM

I think those must have been among the first, well certainly in the town centre or near to it. I don't think they were anything like the curry houses today, except for the flock wallpaper and Indian Arches.

But I am talking about the food, you didn't have the choices in curry that you have today. It was just basically curry & boiled rice. I don't think having curry with chips was even heard of in them days. It was like a meeting of East & West resulting in a great meal. Most of the curry's we eat were invented for western consumption and as you know Balti's were invented in Brum. I've never tried one, and I don't think I ever will. I'll just stick to my Madras.

Phil

Phil,
I've had frozen Balti's at home and I can't see what all the fuss is about. I much preferred curry in the 70s and 80s when you got loads of sauce and you had to ask for (chicken) breast off the bone. I doubt you could get a bone in anything now.

The best curry I have ever had was in a hotel in Singapore, it was served in an little earthenware pot with a lid and the chicken was just chopped up into pieces, bones and all.

VM

Did anyone ever dine at the Kashmir Indian restaurant at the swan. It was round about where The comet shop was. There was also the Jalalabad in Edgebaston Street.

SB

I think over the years I probably used every curry house on the south, the east and central Birmingham. I used to go out drinking seven nights a week and always finish the evening (or morning) with a curry.

I thought my middle name was Abdul and if I got home before 2.a.m. my wife called the police because she thought it was a burglar.

Phil

I bet that was in the days when you could go out, Have ten pints, Entrance to a Night club (probably the Elbow room). Six more pints in there, then go for a Curry and Rice with twelve poppadums, which you battered with your fist, so that your mates couldn't nick the big pieces. you would also have had a bottle of blue Nun which came in a Teapot with cups, because the restaurant never had a drinks licence. You would have been dapper enough to wear a different knitted tie every night you went out, ( mainly because your mom and then your wife couldn't get the curry stains out of the last one). Then ten of you would pile into a taxi, four of you would be sick through the window, and when you got home everyone would pile out and run in every direction so that the last poor sod who was so drunk he didn't know if he was Arthur or Martha was left to pay the £2 taxi fare. Then you got up the next day and of course turned tea total until next Friday.

Was you with us?

The only things you got wrong was the night club, I didn't use the Elbow Room. It would have been somewhere less salubrious (is that possible) like The Ringway or the Golden Gloves or The Gaylords, and I never turned tea total the next day I just went off to work and started the whole process over again that night.

Phil

Sometimes I think some of us followed the same path, but at different times. Volty was just the same. But because of his blond hair and baby face, he got away with murder.

SB

The only path I followed was the pavement kerb on my hands and knees most of the time so I could see it.

Phil

But did you enjoy that part of your life

Couldn't be here without it, now could we?

Baby Face

I enjoyed it immensely, I would be a liar if I said different. My only regret is that it damaged my health and it has given the wife chance to preach at me "see I told you so". But given the chance I would do it all over again, because the bad times will never outweigh the good times and I have the memories,

Phil

That's exactly how I feel about the Mothers years etc. I have the most unbelievable memories that noione can take away SB

John

Your latest set of photos of the inside of your nephews pub are fascinating. The only trouble is for me it would be a nightmare. Being among all those wonders and being able to sample none.

John if I get down to Brighton sometime in the near future I will get rid of the wife for the day. She will be quite happy down "The Lanes" and I will pop in and see you.

Phil

You would be made most welcome Phil, we do coffee and tea also.

John

I know I would, and I can get coffee and tea at home. The occasional little fall of the waggon doesn't hurt anybody. Though in this case it would be fall into the waggon.

Phil