# Do you look forward to Lenten fish dinners even if you are not Catholic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 8, 2025, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300 "2025-03-08T18:07:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/41 "2025-03-09T17:19:22Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > This is one of the highlights of our Fall here. The old ladies are freaked out that an Indian dude is so passionate and knowledgeable about Greek food! The folks at Indian restaurants are probably a little freaked out that an Irish/German/Italian white guy loves it as spicy as they do, too. Isn’t it great to live in a multicultural country? ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/42 "2025-03-09T17:23:39Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Here in Chicago what is unique to Lent is that the hot dog stands start offering those delectable little egg and pepper sandwiches. I never heard of this sandwich but it looks good. Sort of like potatoes O’Brien with eggs. And no potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/43 "2025-03-09T17:30:14Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > And no potatoes. That sounds typical, of an Irish potato dish. (too soon?) ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/44 "2025-03-09T17:31:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Isn’t it great to live in a multicultural country? Here in North Olmsted, Ohio, we have a large population of Middle East folks. There are several markets within a short distance of me. Young ladies wearing Moslem head scarfs are common to see working at the stores. Recently I watched a whole family with the women in traditional garb selecting from the supermarket sushi counter. That’s two levels of culture change for them! ---
**Author:** ![Boudicca90](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boudicca90/32/16818_2.png) [@Boudicca90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boudicca90)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/45 "2025-03-09T18:09:12Z")
Weirdly, even though I grew up Catholic, I hadn’t even heard of Lent growing up. My family didn’t adhere to it, and I don’t remember my church ever talking about it. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/46 "2025-03-09T18:11:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The folks at Indian restaurants are probably a little freaked out that an Irish/German/Italian white guy loves it as spicy as they do, too. > > Isn’t it great to live in a multicultural country? Yeah, amen to that!! When I first hitched to New York City after living most of my prior life in the small-town south and southwest, I was amazed at the incredible variety of cuisines. I was even _more_ amazed at how the Indian restaurants were staffed by Indian folks \* and how I’d be nearly the only non-Indian person eating there, likewise the Moroccan places and the Thai places and so on. And how in conversations with other denizens and classmates, so often I’d find that people weren’t inclined to go try out food that was outside of what they’d grown up eating! Of course there were plenty of others doing the same thing I was doing. “Oh have you tried the new Catalan place over near Leeroy and Greenwich? Seriously, the best seafood tapas I ever had!” /\* back in the small-town suburbs, an Italian or Chinese restaurant might have an ethnically relevant owner and chef but most of the hired help would be mainstream locals, as would most of the patrons, there not being enough of ‘them’ to keep a restaurant in business. And the food would of course be Americanized, or at least a good number of the items on the menu would be. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/47 "2025-03-09T18:23:16Z")
When you say you grew up Catholic, what exactly do you mean? It’s hard to understand how you never heard of Lent unless by “growing up Catholic” you mean your family went to Mass on Christmas and Easter. Or do you just mean you never heard about abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent? ---
**Author:** ![Boudicca90](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boudicca90/32/16818_2.png) [@Boudicca90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boudicca90)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/48 "2025-03-09T18:37:05Z")
I mean exactly that, my family and I went to Catholic church every Sunday. There was never any point where we had to gave up meat, and if the rest of the parishioners practiced it, I didn’t know. I didn’t find out about Lent until I was a teenager, and by that time I wasn’t attending church anymore. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/49 "2025-03-09T18:46:22Z")
I don’t really like fish, so my answer to the OP is “nope.” ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/50 "2025-03-09T19:08:32Z")
Hence the term “Mackerel Snapper” Not much heard anyone, since anti-Irish-Americanism is long dead. [![](https://kfoxtv.com/resources/media2/16x9/full/768/center/80/e5998c79-babc-4b04-b42f-70165934b442-medium16x9_KFOX_GOP.JPG) ](https://kfoxtv.com/resources/media2/16x9/full/768/center/80/e5998c79-babc-4b04-b42f-70165934b442-medium16x9_KFOX_GOP.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/51 "2025-03-09T19:12:56Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I find it amusing that people are saying there are a lot of fish fries in their area because it’s very Catholic and others saying they haven’t seen one because their area is not Catholic. I live in NYC, which has one of the highest Catholic populations in the US, and there have always been at least three Catholic churches in walking distance of anywhere I have lived - and I have never seen a fish fry in my life. I don’t know, I’m not an expert, but here in Cleveland, I think it’s not so much just Catholic, but ethnic (primarily eastern European) Catholic where these are really popular and prevalent. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/52 "2025-03-09T19:16:36Z")
> [@Boudicca90](#): > > I mean exactly that, my family and I went to Catholic church every Sunday. There was never any point where we had to gave up meat, and if the rest of the parishioners practiced it, I didn’t know. I didn’t find out about Lent until I was a teenager, and by that time I wasn’t attending church anymore. this is really confusing to me. Abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during lent is obligatory in the Catholic Church, it’s not just a recommendation or a regional thing. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/53 "2025-03-09T19:34:00Z")
Evidently these cafeteria Catholics pass on the fish. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/54 "2025-03-09T20:24:54Z")
And the scripture readings every Sunday are the same for all Catholic churches (and several protestant sects too), and the homilies are all based on the scripture readings. It would be impossible for Lent not to be mentioned in a Catholic church. Specific traditions associated with Lent, like fish on Fridays, might go unmentioned, but not Lent itself. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300/55 "2025-03-09T20:46:47Z")
You weren’t really specific - but if your family went to Mass every Sunday you certainly would have heard about Lent at Mass, in the homilies or when the day was referred to as the X Sunday of Lent . You would not necessarily have heard about abstaining from meat at Mass and perhaps not even at religious education ( if you attended) since it’s not required under a certain age. Also , as a kid you might not have known your parents were abstaining from meat - I know my family had either pizza or shrimp fried rice every Friday but I probably didn’t know why when I was 7. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-forward-to-lenten-fish-dinners-even-if-you-are-not-catholic/1015300.md?page=2)