Wagon Meals! Proud Canadians with of our Irish decent

Wagon

Pam and I are very proud Canadians who would rather live nowhere else in the world. But we are also very proud of our Irish decent. We have put our Irish Coatsof-Arms on the sides of our truck to reflect this pride.

Both my parents’ families left Ireland (McQuaid’s from Monaghan and Whelan’s from Wexford), in the mid 1830’s, 20 years before the Irish

Potato Famine. They both came directly to PEI, with my father’s family settling in the Kelly’s Cross/Emyvale area, and my mother’s family first in Tracadie/Fort

Augustus and then Vernon River. They were all farmers and to this day there are still a few on the Whelan side of the family that farm around Vernon River.

Pam’s family history is a bit less clear.

One can suspect that that her ancestor left Wexford, Ireland, in the time of the

Potato Famine, or just afterwards, as the first record is a census from Lancashire,

England in 1861, where her traceable ancestor, his brother and their Irish wifes appear. They declare on that census that they all came from Wexford. The family lived in the same area of England until

Pam’s father got a job in Burlington,

Ontario in 1974, and he brought her with him. She was 8 years old. The rest of her family joined them shortly after.

Why ‘Paddywagon’?

PaddyWagon is a very Irish sounding name, which we can take as a symbol of our Irish heritage. It wasn’t always that way.

The term ‘Paddy Wagon’ came from a derisive term for the Police Department Wagon (PD Wagon) in the mid 1800’s when Irish Immigration to North America exploded due to the Potato Famine.

We decided to use PaddyWagon for the name on the truck to show appreciation and admiration to not only our Irish Ancestors, but to all Irish, who fought and clawed their way from dying in the fields all over Ireland, and being destitute in the Diaspora, to being a vital part of every country on earth.

ABOUT OUR FOOD What is different about Paddy’s Haddock?

As a Food Truck, there is no easy solution to a large piece of fish in a take-out container. You can sit on a park bench, at a hockey arena, or even in a classroom with the food on your lap, knife and fork in hand. Part of the job of eating fish on your lap is not tipping over the container and losing it all or get it on your fork only to lose it part way to your mouth.

We are trying to re-imagine our fish a bit differently. We hope you can focus on enjoying the taste rather than fighting the fish. It isn’t a revolution, but we hope it makes eating Paddy’s Haddock more convenient.

What have we done?

• We have taken the fillet of Haddock and cut it into smaller, more manageable, strips (like a chicken strip/finger is cut

Meals!

from a chicken breast) and then handbatter it just before frying.

• We use a light batter created in England and used around Britain and Ireland which is available here in Canada.

• You get the same golden-brown appearance and great taste, but this also allows you to easily eat your fish as you walk, attend classes or watch a game or other event.

• Of course, you can still use a knife and fork if you prefer. Fresh, never frozen

Haddock all year ‘round, really?

• Yes. We buy all of our Haddock from MR

Seafoods in Charlottetown. They have connections with Maritime Fishers who fish off Nova Scotia/New Brunswick all year ‘round for Haddock, among other things. Fish is landed, and shipped, daily from various plants in Nova Scotia and

New Brunswick.

Only PEI Russet ‘Chef’ Potatoes for our Fries.

We buy all our potatoes from McKenna Bros. in Cardigan/Vernon River. They supply us with only their best Russet potatoes, referred to as ‘Chef’ or ‘#1’ potatoes. We cut them fresh daily and prepare them carefully to bring out the best possible taste. Can there be anything better?

Our Meats are Fresh, Never Frozen, just like our Haddock

We purchase all our Hamburger, Peameal, Chicken and regular (strip) bacon from Mike’s Island Meats (formerly Queen Street Meat Market) fresh, never frozen. We believe the fresh, good quality meats, properly spiced, will enhance the taste of our meats.

PaddyWagon Fish ‘n’ Chips food truck is located at 502 Brackley Point/BJs truck centre.