Tomorrow’s fish and chip paper

Boat has always done a fantastic job of evoking the atmosphere of a place. Normally Davey, Erin and the team manage the trick using words and pictures alone, but this issue they’ve added to the package by wrapping the magazine in the rather attractive grease-proof paper used by punters in Athens Central Meat and Fish Market.

I can’t imagine they’ve done this for all subscribers, but even on a small scale it’s a lovely idea – a genuine artefact from the city. It’s even featured on page 11 in its natural market habitat.

The Athens issue is another step up for Boat – it looks absolutely beautiful and as you’d expect the city has yielded up some fascinating stories. Boat likes to take an optimistic, often contrarian view of the world, and the overall tone of the magazine is of courage and creativity in the face of adversity, with normal Athenians telling their stories of everyday life in a city that has been written off by the world.

But that’s not to say it’s at all blinkered, and it’s strangely refreshing to see the bad news stories in there too, told with sensitivity and serious engagement.

Next year will see Boat set sail for Kyoto and I’m already looking forward to reading their version of the city. And to seeing what Japanese fish papers look like.