Spoiler Alert – we saved the best for last! There was no fried fish, the room was packed even before the event officially started, and I can’t pronounce the name of the Polish apple cake (szarlotka) that was just one of about 75 dessert choices at St. Christopher church in Grandview, Ohio. [Jump to “Related Links” if you want to test your pronunciation.]

My Catholic upbringing comes with the adage “There’s no meat on Fridays, during Lent” and there are lots of symbolic, religious, and philosophical thoughts behind the reasons to avoid meat on these special days. So, as a community, as a culture, and as a family we’d eat fish (usually in the form of fish sticks) on Fridays. To this day it’s hard for me to resist a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich, with all its delicious (yet nutritionally questionable) salt, sugar, and fat. The sugary bun, the salty fries on the side – yum!

So, let’s settle once and for all whether fish is meat!

“Fish is the flesh of an animal used for food, and by that definition, it’s meat. However, many religions don’t consider it meat. There are also several important distinctions between fish and other types of meat, especially in terms of their nutritional profiles and potential health benefits.”

~ Healthline

There you go – settled, right? Healthline has to be right, so quit scratching your head about it and relax. We’ll just leave that question here, so we can talk about the beauty and delight of the Friday night fish fry during the Lenten season.

For over 2 decades I lived in Columbus, OH without knowing about the amazing network of Friday night gatherings happening in church basements, lunchrooms, and multi-purpose rooms. The last few years I’d hear about these culinary adventures from friends after the Easter egg hunts were a wrap, when all the chocolate bunnies were 80% off at the local grocery. It was too late – the season of the fish fry was in the past. Year after year I’d find myself in the position of having to wait another year for a chance to join in.

This was the year!

First Stop: Immaculate Conception

Since we’re at the beginning of this experience I’ll caution the novice that you’d better get there early! At a lot of these fish dinners service starts at 4 or 5 pm and ends promptly after a couple of hours, with a speedy cleanup. The events are so busy that lines are out of the church doors and into the parking lot. It’s a best practice to arrange to arrive at the same time as your friends, so you can sit together for the meal.

Standing in line you get a whiff of hot grease, as the fish is being fried just outside the church doors, in large batches. There’s a hint of vinegar in the air, which you know you’ll douse the fish and the fries into. If your preference is tartar sauce that’s often available too. Coleslaw is on the menu; everyone has a unique recipe so what you’ll get is a bit of a mystery.

This is a traditional fish fry, with the support of the whole community. Alert, responsive pre-teens are the runners, bringing you the meal. You pay up front, sit around large round tables, and let the kids take care of everything. Ice cold water is served in metal cups that are never empty. Dishes are customized, according to diner preferences. Younger guests, in the 3 – 7 range, eat. . . well, they eat well even if fish doesn’t serve their taste. Cheese pizza is a reliable stand-in that keeps the whole family coming to the event.

Honestly, the service is incredible, your plate arrives full, and dessert is a must! Beer and soda are, of course, available to wash down the meal. As a matter of fact, if you were feeling parched while you were standing in line, a gentleman parish member was walking up and down the line with a cooler, offering a pre-dinner beverage of choice. As the child of two Catholic school teachers I say this with all due respect — “Only the Catholics. . . . !” It’s fun to watch!

It’s easy to enjoy the buzz of friendly conversation at the surrounding tables, while engaging in a friendly conversation of your own. Kids get bored easily, so if you’re there long enough their cupcake and Coke-fueled energy will have them zipping around the room. It’s infectious, so you laugh and move your purse out of the way, after the 20th time one of them kicks it as they run by.

At the end of the night tip your young servers! They have earned it! (You’ll see them walk directly over to the adults at the front of the room, to turn the money over, so hopefully they see a cut of the cash at the end of the night.)

Next Up: St. Andrew

If you’ve never been to a fish fry before this is definitely one to try! They allow you to split your order into 1 piece of fish and a handful of jumbo fried shrimp. The coleslaw is creamy and delicious, if you like that sort of thing. The French fries are thin, crispy, and salty — just the way I like them. My plate is so full that I’m uncertain I’ll be able to eat everything on it. Yeah, . . . right!

Many of the churches perform the stations of the cross after dinner, if you’re able to stick around. If you aren’t sure what that is there’s a link below. We had a few first-timers with us on this adventure. It’s a reminder that these events are held in parish gathering places. Clergy are often present, greeting the parishioners by name. But clearly the community is welcomed in! There were no thunderbolts when this non-practicing Catholic entered the building.

I had friendly guidance when I got to this church, having parked on the “wrong” side of the church. It was busy enough that there were cars everywhere and it wasn’t clear where to enter. A kind woman shepherded me in through the front doors of the church, down into the basement. At that point my nose could have guided me in, but we were having a friendly conversation so we continued to chat as we got in line to pay.

It turns out that this woman lived less than a block away. She isn’t a member of the parish, but she comes to the fish fry every year. Turns out the food at this event is outstanding, with everything crunchy, hot, and fried to perfection. Her son didn’t feel like leaving the house to join her, so she had plans to get her meal to go. It’s wonderful that this is an option, especially for older parish members who are unable to come to the church, but who want to participate in this tradition nonetheless.

Of course I invited this church neighbor to join us at our table. She politely declined, which was actually a good thing. We had a big group of friends, and friends of friends, which led to a nice evening of conversation. The previous week a friend had commented: “I feel like I’ve crossed some imaginary line, spending my Friday night in the church basement.” She looked around at the crowd. With most of our group in our 50s we were bringing the average age down.

Unrelenting Expectations: St. Elizabeth

By week 3 of my month-long tour of fish fries I got sloppy and made the wrong choice. “I’ll be a little bit healthier,” I told myself, “and get the baked fish.” Don’t do it. Wrong choice. You’re at a fish FRY for a reason, so live it up and do the right thing by yourself.

The desserts at this one were creative, being so close to St. Patrick’s Day. They were ticketed and under careful watch, so choose carefully. Other fish fries had been giving away the extra desserts by the end of the night, as we closed out the event. There were extra treats here – blue Jell-O with Peeps on top. Not for me! I’m definitely not a Peep person.

And Now, For Something Completely Different: St. Christopher, Polish Lenten Dinner

As I said at the start of the blog we saved the best experience for last. The last Friday of Lent is Good Friday, so there aren’t fish fries to be found. March 22 was the last chance in 2024 to indulge. Should it be an indulgence? Typically Lent is more about sustaining or doing good works. Well, the Polish Lenten Dinner at St. Christopher in the Grandview area of Columbus is an indulgence for me!

Instead of fish it was a pierogi dinner, prepared in a traditional Polish fashion and filling our plates. A dollop of sour cream on top made it just that much more satisfying. At one point I saw one of the workers canvasing the room with a large tub of sour cream. She offered it up, in large servings, at every table. Many folks took her up on the offer.

The atmosphere was festive and the meal was worth the line that ran down the stairs and out the door into the drizzle of the late afternoon. Despite the crowds there was plenty of seating, cafeteria style this time. The organizers were seen bringing out additional tables to accommodate the crowds. We squeezed our adult-sized butts onto kid-sized stools, seated without social distancing in mind.

I do wonder how the churches did during the height of COVID. I’m certain this tradition was missed by those who didn’t have the option to participate. But this year we were packed in! No one seemed to mind, because the food was just so good. Still in adherence with the requirement that we not eat meat on a Lenten Friday, it was a nice change of pace on a Friday night.

I just can’t say enough about the fun and friendly atmosphere. Check out the photos below, to learn a bit about the head priest’s personality. He addressed the room near the end of the meal, thanking everyone for coming and encouraging them to remain for the stations. He wore a bright red hoodie over his traditional Catholic garb, with “POLISH” on the back, across his shoulders.

And I must mention the desserts — the many, many choices of dessert. I conned my way into getting a variety of them, against the ‘one per person’ rule and even went back for a traditional Polish apple cake for a friend who hadn’t gotten one. I have a way with people, I guess. Expressing my fascination with the traditional food of the culture and insisting that my friend needed to try it got me a 2nd slice. Yum!

St. Christopher – entryway

The best part of this whole experience was spending 4 Friday nights in a row, in early spring before our bike rides kick off for the season, with some really wonderful friends. These are the folks I hike with all winter. We sometimes part ways at the end of the hiking season, until we get our bikes out. Not this year — the year the fish fry tradition began!

Join me on my next adventure,

~ Kat

Related Links:

Polish Apple Cake (Szarlotka): https://forvo.com/word/szarlotka

Stations of the Cross (Dynamic Catholic): https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/lent/stations-of-the-cross.html

List of Columbus Fish Fries: https://www.columbusonthecheap.com/fish-fry-lent/