Fish and Chips . . . A Healthier Version

Recently I rode my motorcycle through a small coastal town and stopped for a bite at a small fish ‘n’ chips restaurant along the way. It was owned and operated by monks from the local monastery to raise money. While I was waiting for my order, I asked the monk in charge, with a witty grin on my face, “are you the fish friar”? Without missing a beat, and not to be outdone by my wisecrack, he simply responded, “No sir, I am the chip monk”. The simplicity and source of the punchline above makes me think of 14th-century Franciscan friar, William of Ockham. This English logician was attributed with coming up with the theory that the simplest explanation or strategy to solve a given problem tends to be the best one. I believe his words were something along the lines of “When you hear hoof-beats, think horses, not zebras”. This principle became to be known as Ockham’s Razor. Now I am sure you can tell by the joke above, I’m a simple ma...