The Fish Fry, an American concept?

superstring01

superstring01

Moderator
So, it's Lent and I owed my parents a dinner on the town, so I took them to our local Irish-American Club for fish. As I was sitting there at our "group" dining experience (that is: you get your food and are crammed at large tables with anybody and everybody), a thought occurred to me that this whole idea of going out to fish fries on Friday evening during Lent, to be served sub-standard food at a somewhat reasonable cost in order to observe a totally ridiculous tradition HAD to be a strictly American institution.

So, does this exist anywhere else? Is it a global Catholic thing, or an American institution?

~String
 
superstring99 said:
So, it's Lent and I owed my parents a dinner on the town, so I took them to our local Irish-American Club for fish. As I was sitting there at our "group" dining experience (that is: you get your food and are crammed at large tables with anybody and everybody), a thought occurred to me that this whole idea of going out to fish fries on Friday evening during Lent, to be served sub-standard food at a somewhat reasonable cost in order to observe a totally ridiculous tradition HAD to be a strictly American institution.

So, does this exist anywhere else? Is it a global Catholic thing, or an American institution?

~String
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To bad you couldn't take them to Milwaukee, in Wisconsin the Fish Fry is a Friday Night Ritual, and there are many a good restaurant of the Irish and any other nationality that specialize in them, and no, here the food better not be sub standard, it better be good, and it better be plenty, although you will most likely be fed family style, everybody's a cousin at the Friday Night Fish Fry, and here it's 52 weeks a year.
 
Buffalo Roam said:
To bad you couldn't take them to Milwaukee, in Wisconsin the Fish Fry is a Friday Night Ritual, and there are many a good restaurant of the Irish and any other nationality that specialize in them, and no, here the food better not be sub standard, it better be good, and it better be plenty, although you will most likely be fed family style, everybody's a cousin at the Friday Night Fish Fry, and here it's 52 weeks a year.
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Cleveland isn't all that different than Milwaukee. In fact, I think of Cleveland, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh as the three most similar cities in the USA. Huge Irigh, German and Slavic communities. Lot's of local pubs and ethnic European eateries. A predominately blue-collar culture that is humbled by the titanic shift in the way heavy industry has moved out of the city and is now replace by more service inclined industries.

~String
 
fish_fry.jpg
 
So your talking about going out for fish and chips? If so then yes its a tradition in lots of countries even if they dont know WHY they always have fish and chips on fridays
 
Asguard said:
So your talking about going out for fish and chips? If so then yes its a tradition in lots of countries even if they dont know WHY they always have fish and chips on fridays
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<sigh> Because during lent you can't eat meat on Fridays. Fish (for some odd reason) isn't considered meat.
My kids school always has mac and cheese or fish sticks on Friday

A lot of restaurants have all you can eat fish fries (not the same as fish and fries) on Friday. The VFW, Moose Lodge, etc do it too.
I had forgotten, thanks String!
 
your telling an ex catholic why the tradition arose

I said lots of NON catholics still do the fish and chips on friday (because it used to be EVERY friday not just lent) and have no idea where it comes from
 
Yeah they do. Its from those anal rule loving Catholics who think fish isn't meat. We grew up with them in school. We know why.
 
I got no problem with it, fish is good for you. Full of essential fatty acids:
 
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True, we should all be eating rare or raw samon and lots of shell fish:)

Mmmm oysters, crayfish:D
God im hungry now:(
 
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