Lent!!! Bring on the Fish!!!

Let me start by saying that I am not Catholic. I am not originally from the Midwest and it is okay to eat meat on a Friday in my religion. But I LOVE LENT!!! Why? Easy: FISH FRIES!!! I remember when my wife and I first started dating. We spent a long time in a "long distance relationship" and I travelled many times to her home state of Wisconsin to visit her and her family. I love the Milwaukee area. It offers so much for someone who loves food and beer. Not the least of which is a the Friday night tradition of Fish Fry.

For those of you who don't know, in Wisconsin (and probably in a lot of other areas as well I am assuming) most restaurants offer an all you can eat fish and chips dinner on Fridays. I am guessing it is due in large part to the overwhelming amount of Catholics in Wisconsin and the fact that eating meat on Friday used to be a hell worthy tresspass. Well not so much any more... but the one glorious thing they have kept from those days is the Fish Fry. One of the best in the area is the 5 O'clock Club in the Pewaukee area. Most restaurants offer two different kinds of fried fish (baked and grilled fish too but why would you do that?). My favorite are the predictable cod fillets and lake perch. The latter is my absolute favorite. My father-in-law introduced me to it years ago and I absolutely love it now! If you get the chance to try it, go ahead.

Back to lent...

So here in St. Louis, we don't have Friday Night Fish Fry. It is a sad and somber thought that I have come to grips with. When I moved here, I remember actually wondering if we would have it here since it is a Midwestern city like Milwaukee. Imagine my disappointment. Except for Lent! During Lent, all of our local churches have Friday Night Fish Fries! True, they aren't at restaurants. They're at churches so there are tons of kids running around and it is LOUD, but most of them have "to go" areas for takeout and they do serve beer and wine so really, not a big deal. The best part is that most or all of our churches do it so there is always one nearby. The worst part is the crouds. I will literally stand in line for 30 minutes to pick up my carry out order.

Well tonight is the first Friday night of Lent. So around 5:45 or so, I will be heading over to Holy Infant Catholic Church with my daughter to pick up some fried seafood goodness. Whether you're Catholic or not, you should too!