Bang This

There's nothing quite like authentic pub grub. At The Red Lion Pub (2316 South Shepherd, 713-782-3030), you’ll find bangers and mash ($8), along with other British comfort food like Scotch eggs or roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. The bangers and mash instantly transported me back to my childhood in London. Bangers are English pork sausages that are much larger in diameter than regular links — more akin in size to their German cousin, the bratwurst. They get their name from that period during World War II when said sausages had a high water content thanks to the scarcity of meat. If the sausages weren’t pricked with a fork before frying, they would burst open, making quite a bang. The "mash" refers to mashed potatoes. The dish also comes with authentic English Heinz baked beans, which are much sweeter than their Yankee counterparts. Trivia: "Bangers and mash" is the phrase used in London cockney rhyming slang for "cash," as well as for "slash" — as in, urinate. Now you know.