Why does the fish fry endure in Buffalo?
As fish fry season is about to begin, we consider the everlasting appeal of the Buffalo fish fry.
The takeout box arrives long before the food does. Not a sign to rush, the box is more of a relief for the imminent, picnic-sized meal. When the food – Wiechec’s famous fish fry – does come, it’s a heavy, oval plate of three mayonnaise-based “salads,” two fried foods and one piece of bread. The star – a golden, battered piece of fried fish – hangs off the plate, just like it should.
A fish fry at the Riverfield 865 in Buffalo. Libby March, Buffalo News
“New Year, New Me” season is over. (Phew.) The religious day of doughnuts, Pączki Day, is about to kick off fish fry season, otherwise known as Lent. There will be other food holidays in the meantime, like Chocolate Day (more commonly known as Valentine’s Day) and
Day (or St. Patrick’s Day, if you insist), but the Catholic contribution to the local gastronomic calendar deserves celebration, regardless of your religious affiliation.Why does the fish fry endure in Buffalo? I’m inclined to think that this has an easy answer. It’s not a mystery on par with, say, the Tom and Jerry’s enduring appeal, because the Tom and Jerry is a laborious, hot cocktail of brandy, rum and sweetened egg batter, which can be a hard sell to bartenders and customers alike. The Tom and Jerry persists for those warm, Christmassy, traditional reasons. Taste memories. The evergreen appeal of nostalgia. Cute mugs.
At the risk of sounding like an overwhelmed parent snapping, “because I said so,” I’d argue the fish fry endures for a very simple reason.
Because it’s good.
A large platter can barely contain the popular fish fry at Gene McCarthy's in the Old First Ward. The fish fry tradition endures for a very simple reason:
Because it’s good. Buffalo News file photo
It is an objective fact that taste is subjective, but some things are just good. Chicken wings, for example, are more popular than beef on weck at least partly because their flavor is more appealing to a larger group of people.
People eat fish fries because people like fish fries. It’s the bottom of a pyramid of reasons, but the fish fry does not survive out of an altruistic obligation to keep the culture alive.
But, climbing up the pyramid, a Lenten fish fry is not just a meal. As Wikipedia poetically put it, a fish fry is an “American social event." It's mostly available on Fridays, the prime day for a social dinner, when the weekend remains full of possibility. People have theorized over the years that fish fries endure in a “working-class town” like Buffalo because people want to relax over an "economical meal" at the corner bar at the end of a long week.
For Catholics – mostly – eating a Friday night fish fry is a sign of morality, as they abstain from eating meat on Lenten Fridays. It is also a time to support your church or local fire hall by ordering their volunteer-made fish, fried with love.
Fish fries have a long local history, dating back to at least the 19th century. Some details have changed over the years. (Lake Erie pike is no longer on the menu. Most fried fish is now either haddock or cod.) Yet, much has remained the same, like the sides: creamy macaroni salad, creamy potato salad, creamy coleslaw, creamy tartar sauce and crunchy fries … with creamy potato insides.
In 1979, The News’ longtime food critic, Janice Okun, posed the question: “What’s so great about fish fry, anyway?” She answered with another question, “What’s so great about a tender core of moist, white flesh, encased in a crispy crust for contrast, garnished appropriately and practically hanging over the sides of the plate?”
I thought of that question while eating my Wiechec’s fish fry, which looked and tasted exactly like Okun’s 47-year-old description. What’s so great about a fish fry? It’s still the moist flesh, still the contrasting, crispy crust and still the charming way it hangs off the plate. It is what it is, has been and will be. It’s fried fish.
What’s not to like?
