St. Columbkille (Guest Post)

A Fish Fry Newbie

I have never been to a Lenten fish fry in my life, but I have to admit I was a little curious. What actually goes on at a fish fry? Do they only have fried fish to eat? Do you have to attend the church where the fish fry is being held? Needless to say, when I was asked to pick a fish fry and then write a review I was excited, I would be able to answer all my questions.

I researched which fish fry would be the best for myself and my family to attend, there were so many options, which one would be best? We decided to make life easy and we chose St. Columbkille in Papillion. My parents, my middle daughter and myself, agreed to meet at the church when the doors opened for dinner at 5PM. The line was not too long and the weather was pleasant so we did not mind waiting a few minutes to enter the building. We could smell the fish and the people in line all around us were lovely to chat with. Little did we know that the line outside the door was only a small portion of
the line awaiting us inside.

My heart sank as we realized we had to snake around inside the building several times before we even reached the serving counter. We passed a table with gentlemen selling
pickle cards, another table selling beer, and then finally we were able to pay for our dinner. One of the reasons I chose St. Columbkille was the fact that I could pay a flat fee for my family. The prices were posted several times around the building: $9 Senior citizens, $10 Adults, $8 Children (5-14), $3 Children (4 and under) and $30 for a family – which is the option we chose. Once we paid we still had a long line to pass through before being served. We continued to chat with the people in front of us, and beside us, and with ourselves and the time seemed to pass comfortably. When we reached the serving counter we had been waiting for an hour in line. I kept thinking this would not have been a pleasant experience if my daughter was much younger.

We all ordered a different option and we were surprised with the amount of food we were
given, and the fact that they had an option with mac and cheese if fish was not your favorite thing. My Mom ordered the fried fish with french fries, my Dad had the fried fish with a baked potato, my daughter had the mac and cheese, with French fries (so we could all share) and I ordered the fish tacos with French fries. Drinks were an extra cost, as were the desserts. We sat at long tables and ate enthusiastically as we were pretty hungry after the long wait. I have to admit, fried fish is not a meal I would order if I were given other options, however, new experiences are always fun. The fish was tasty,
not too greasy, generous, and hot, but this is still not a meal I would order again.

Overall the experience was great, we had fun chatting and joking with our line mates and the volunteers in the kitchen, and the fish was good, but I do not believe I will be rounding up my family to attend another fish fry soon.

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