fish fry season

thank you, catholicism, for bringing the tradition of fish fries into lent. 

i was raised catholic until i was 7. it was during this time i learned lent meant you don't eat meat on fridays. instead, you go to fish fries where you see all your family and your dad drinks beer while you get to spend nickels on the cake wheel. 

when i was 7, my dad married my stepmom and we became southern baptist. then i learned no one is supposed to drink beer or spend money on any kind of wheel, and lent was the time to start shopping for your easter dress... and shoes and purse if you were a teenage girl. 

but oh the days of the fish fries. right smack dab in the middle of my neighborhood sat St. Luke church. all my catholic friends attended school there and most of my aunts and uncles attended church there. my dad and i would walk to St. Luke's on friday nights and hang out for hours. my uncles were frying the fish, my aunts were serving it and all my little friends and cousins were bussing the cafeteria tables. and oooh the fish. a big slab of fried cod on rye bread, a smearing of tartar, french fries floating in a lake of ketchup... mac and cheese, slaw, catholic green beans. "catholic green beans" are a mystery to me. i don't know how they are made, but at every fish fry or catholic church picnic i've ever attended, the green beans always taste the same. they're oniony and slightly sweet. delicious, unique and consistent. is it some kind of secret recipe? i don't know. 

one friday night every lent season, we would break the routine and head down preston hwy. to Guardian Angels for the best "fish fry" fish in louisville. crunchy, a little peppery -- heavenly fish. and they serve freakin' good brats, too. i think one year i had to go there twice b/c my dad went and then my mom came to pick me up for the weekend and she wanted some Guardian Angels fish, too. crazy.

i still love fish fries. these days when i go, i usually just get carry-out. but i love standing in line, giving my order to a couple of 12 year olds, watching moms and dads cook and serve the meals. the cafeteria is full of community in action --  everyone committing to be apart of something important for them and having so much fun in the process. 

since we've moved up here, i've searched for an awesome fish fry and the results have been so-so. i don't recommend St. Thomas in fort thomas. not good at all. however, Mary Queen of Heaven in erlanger is delicious. they have quite a set up over there and it's always packed. they even claim to be home of the "codfather." if anyone knows of any other good ones around here, i'm all ears. i still haven't made it to the west side. 

my mom is coming in town this friday. i asked her to swing by Guardian Angels on her way and bring me some fish and brats. i can't wait. 

i wish crossroads did a fish fry. i would be in charge of the cake wheel.