Shark-Eating Men 165 



A Fishmonger's Shop, painted by Alex Fraser in 1812, shows two skates in the fore- 

 ground, proving then— as now— that skates were on the British menu. 



Courtesy, Lord Leverhulnie 



little as two shillings for 140 pounds. The fried fish sellers dubbed the 

 dogfish "Rock Salmon," and, with a side order of fried potato chips, sold 

 portions of it for one and a half pence, which is about as cheap as a 

 meal could be. 



Dogfish— the Rock Salmon pseudonym did not fool people very 

 long— failed to catch on, especially when better times came to the poor 

 and a man could afford more than a penny and a half for a square meal. 



