Hungry Jacks seagull proof chip packages

[Catherine]

In an effort to keep gulls from stealing people's chips, the chain Hungry Jacks has come up with packaging for chips that should stop gulls.

http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...t=2&at=dt0


I notice that it only works when you are holding the fries. Wouldn't it make sense that chips are only safe from gulls if you are holding them. Paying attention to your food and the birds trying to steal it might help too.

[LPC]

When my wife and I were first married, we lived by the seaside for a good few years. The gulls were not so aggressive in those days and would only politely come up to us and look expectantly at us and the chips - and wait....They often succeeded in charming their way to get a few from us, LOL!

I have read, however, that in recent years gulls in some areas have become much more assertive, even swooping down and stealing food from passers-by. So I can see why this sort of bag has been designed.

By the way, for any American readers, it would appear that this Australian article uses the word "chips" in the same sense as in the UK. In the USA, they are called "French fries". However, that term is a complete misnomer; I know, as I have lived in France for many years. The French would absolutely turn their noses up at American style "French fries". The French call chips "frites" and they are mostly similar to the chunkier UK style "chips".

Sorry for the slight deviation from topic, Catherine.....

[platy]

(07-15-2016, 06:51 PM)LPC Wrote: The French would absolutely turn their noses up at American style "French fries". The French call them "frites" and they are mostly similar to the chunkier UK style "chips".

Well there you go.
We definitely call them fries at McDonalds, but yeah every where else is chips.

And that packaging definitely does not work. Seagulls are so aggressive because people feed them all the time *guilty*
This one time on holidays we didn't even get any chips because the gulls swarmed us and just went in for the kill. Like a scene from The Birds.

[LPC]

(07-16-2016, 01:01 AM)platy Wrote: Seagulls are so aggressive because people feed them all the time *guilty*
This one time on holidays we didn't even get any chips because the gulls swarmed us and just went in for the kill. Like a scene from The Birds.

I can imagine the scene....The mind boggles, LOL! Rotating LOL

[Tobi]

That's so true platy. My brother lived in a seaside town recently for a couple of years, and every morning a seagull would come tapping on his window. He had fed it....once? Twice? But the seagull wasn't giving up when he pulled the curtains shut!
Eventually he gave in and 'adopted' it as a sort of 'pet' lol
He was fortunate that it didn't bring the wife, in-laws, cousins, sisters and second cousins all along to visit!
I don't think he got much sleep

[Catherine]

Quote:By the way, for any American readers, it would appear that this Australian article uses the word "chips" in the same sense as in the UK. In the USA, they are called "French fries". However, that term is a complete misnomer; I know, as I have lived in France for many years. The French would absolutely turn their noses up at American style "French fries". The French call chips "frites" and they are mostly similar to the chunkier UK style "chips".

Sorry for the slight deviation from topic, Catherine.....

You answered some questions, so thank-you. I knew chips were  what we call fries. I wondered about the French Fries part. Fries as we serve them do not seem to be much like French style cooking. 
I like the chunkier style chips. If you use sweet potatoes they are even better.


Gulls are definitely getting more aggressive. They do not ask for food any more. They just take it.
There is a clever gull at the zoo that "works" a particular fast food restaurant. A man put a pizza slice and fries on an outdoor table and went back in for something. The gull flew down, threw the pizza on the ground and ate the fries. When the man came running back the bird was able to retrieve the pizza slice from the ground.

When I was eating lunch, he landed on the table and pushed my water bottle over in  my direction. The joke was on him. I always keep the lid closed so water did not splash all over me.    So when he grabbed my pizza slice I was watching him and  I grabbed the other end of it and held on.
He did not get my lunch. Notice that I didn't have any fries in the first place.

I wonder if we have destroyed most of their natural food sources and they now have to steal from us to survive.

[platy]

There was something I saw about urban gulls. I'll see if I can find it

[Tobi]

When I was at the seaside, and was age two....three? (so that would make it 1955-6) a Seagull swooped down and attacked my ice-cream! Of course that made me a bit upset. Then he pooped on me!

But as that was 60 years ago, it shows they had that tendency then. I don't know....have they got worse? Or is it just that there are more opportunities for them nowadays? In those days there were no fast-food places except fish and chip shops, and you absolutely never saw polystyrene boxes with leftover food in them. This was just after the war and rationing, and people generally didn't waste food. They certainly didn't throw it on the street.
If people wanted to eat they went in a cafe or restaurant. The only real 'outside food' was ice cream in the summertime, or of course fish and chips, which was normally taken home by most people and eaten on plates with knives and forks. Or of course, picnics which were becoming popular then.

[Catherine]

Good point, we have changed our eating habits so the gulls have changed with us. We eat junk and throw it on the ground and the gulls have developed a fast food habit.

I know they were bad before, but I think they are worse now. They are very aggressive about food. When they want fries they don't wait  for us to leave them behind. They want our whole meal.

[platy]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/...n-seagulls

This was the article