28. Forget that corny old joke about the newly converted Catholic trying to baptize his steak: Fried fish is tasty! And St. Louis offers endless variations on the Lenten fish fry. If you grew up Catholic, finding a seat in a musty old church gym with a paper plate full of fried fish and slaw is nostalgia at its best; if you grew up outside the fold, it’s more authentic than Filet-O-Fish—and the miracle is, there’s always more.
Lent has come around and do you know what that means? Fish Fry!!!! We gathered a huge group of friends to party and partake in a fun Catholic event: beer and fried fish. Since it was such a gorgeous night, we had them meet us at the house and we walked down to St. Richards. It was great, we walked up, paid and was served within 5 minutes, totally different than St. Ferdinand’s (you would have to wait forever there, even when it wasn’t Lent). The fish was good and it was all-you-can-eat sides and desserts. Okay, I don’t think it was all-you-can-eat desserts, but really, they weren’t monitoring. The only complaints I had was that they ran out of corn and tarter sauce by the time we got there and it was hotter than hell in the hall. But once enough people left, it was much better. And what better way to end the night after beer and fish? More beer and games at the house! I tell you what, playing Scattergories is a much different experience when the players have been drinking. It is a hilarious sight! We even brought out the Wii to play. Good times, guys!