Friday night fish fry

When I was growing up the choices for eating out were limited.  There were family owned diners and the food counter at Woolworth’s. There were sub shops like John and Mary’s or pizza joints like Jacobi’s for after school or post football games, and if the family wanted exotic food, you could find Chinese. Few fancy restaurants and tearooms spotted the landscape.

Going out to eat was a big deal. This was the era when one dressed up to go shopping, so a lunch or dinner at a restaurant required one’s Sunday best. Except on Friday nights when families went to bars and children were welcome. All for a fish fry. In Buffalo, this meant battered haddock, French fries, and coleslaw. My parents had beer and I could order a Shirley Temple.

Over the years, as meatless Fridays were no longer the norm and a plethora of restaurant chains offering burgers, tacos, chicken, pasta, and salads appeared, eating out became more common. Most bars stopped the traditional fish fry so VFWs adopted Friday nights as a way to make money while providing people with a reasonable dinner and a chance to gather. Broiled became an option for the fish.

This came to mind because last week I was talking to a small business owner who has a seafood restaurant in Chicago and he mentioned they offer a Friday night fish fry. When I asked what fish he uses he said haddock. Then, on Friday night some friends and I ended up at a 60+ year-old restaurant with that neighborhood feel and lots of comfort food on the menu. Two of us had the ‘all you can eat’ fish fry. Turns out they use cod, and while it wasn’t the best plate of food I’ve ever had, included in each bite were the memories of all the previous Friday nights with family and other friends, and I savored every morsel.

Hope something delicious tickles your taste buds, be it pierogis or fried rice or spaghetti and that it provides a sweet nostalgia as we enter the holiday season.

Marilyn

PS: If you are in the Chicagoland area, check out New England Seafood Company (www.neseafoodcompany.com) not just for haddock but great fish every day!