Those seeking the elixir of long life through supplements, miracle diets, and early-morning routines can stop here. Owen Filer, a British veteran of the Second World War, turned 107 on Monday and has an answer to the question that plagues everyone: what must we do to live a long life? Easy: eat fish and chips, the famous British dish. Filer, born in 1919 and believed to be the oldest man in Wales, lives in Cwmbran, Torfaen. He explained his philosophy to the BBC with the simplicity of someone who has had a lot of time to reflect on it.
A Good Fish and Chips, Owen's Life Partner
“I've never overeaten… I lived on fish and chips,” Filer declared during the party organized in his honor. After all, as he himself explains, it's a complete meal: cod or hake, strictly local, and carbohydrates. It's a dish that appears often on his table, but – at least – he's careful not to overdo it with the quantities. Any nutritionist, at this point, would have something to say, but this cheerful Welsh grandfather absolutely doesn't want to dictate: in fact, anyone who asks him how he managed to blow out 107 candles always hears the same answer: "There's no secret recipe. You just have to live the right way, and I've always done that."
And like any elderly person who wants to show off in front of their grandchildren, he can't help but add the usual, pompous and heartfelt: "I've worked all my life, maybe that's why." So, his is a three-point "theory": work, eat moderately, and live properly. Fish and chips might therefore be more of a traveling companion than an active ingredient, but the temptation to put Britain's national dish at the top of the list of longevity factors is strong, and we're not here to dampen that enthusiasm.
The Problem? Today It Costs Too Much
If there's a sour note in the story, it concerns the wallet. Filer admitted that his favorite dish has now become too expensive, and the numbers prove him right: in Wales, a portion of fish and chips costs an average of 10 pounds and can reach 12, about 15 dollars. An observation shared by many Britons, and not only, when faced with the price of fried fish. After 107 years, therefore, the real obstacle to longevity no longer seems to be time but inflation.
What It Means To Live Longer Than a Century
Owen Filer has seen a lot of history. Growing up in Wales in 1919, he lived through World War II, the Cold War, the arrival of television, the moon landing, the fall of the Berlin Wall, Brexit, and a long list of other events, with one constant: fish and chips (almost) always on the table. The beginning, however, wasn't the easiest. "We had no food, we had no money," he recalled, a detail that gives a different flavor to his favorite dish, anything but a given at the time.
In the meantime, he's accomplished a lot: he served in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, a historic infantry regiment of the British Army founded in 1689, became a military police officer, and raised a family of four children, ten grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren. His service was commemorated by SSAFA, the Armed Forces support charity, with a commemorative shield presented at a ceremony. At the event, held at the Tredegar Veterans Support Hub, Filer was accompanied by military personnel and his eighty-year-old daughter, Anne Messore.
The party continued at the Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr, which claims to be the oldest cinema in Wales, complete with a red carpet. However, it can't be said that the birthday boy appreciated all the attention. Fellow soldier Darren Foote, one of the day's organizers, described Owen as a simple man, unable to understand the reason for all the fuss over his birthday. In fact, he simply indulged in his good old habits, enjoying "One Good Turn," the 1955 comedy starring one of his favorite actors, Norman Wisdom, at the cinema.
;Resize,width=767;)
