Why Fry? Ask the Hatter

Although Lent is almost over it is never too late to comment on the most common spike in food intake during a specific time of year. That’s right, Fish Fry. Sure, restaurants across America continue to have a soft spot for the Fish Fry Friday tradition beyond the designated time of Lent observation. But from Ash Wed. through Easter Sunday everything from old German pubs to Serbian Community Halls are full of those with the sudden conviction of their Catholic roots seeking penitence with a good piece of cod dipped in 375 degree vegetable oil or worse, lard. Lent is a time for prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial. However, if you’re Catholic, then perhaps next year on Lent you can be the first Catholic to deny…Fish Fry.

Strictly from a nutritional point of view, giving up meat for Lent is not a bad idea. Our arteries can sing offerings of praise from the short reprieve from the grips of cholesterol that comes with most of our diets high in fatty meats. On a beneficial note, the Omega 3 Fatty Acid from fish has been proven to lower the risk of Cardiovascular Disease. The only problem is that as soon as that fish is dipped in that fryer all the benefits are shot out the window. I’m not shedding any new light on the risk of fried foods. Donuts, fried chicken and French fries have never been listed on any heart healthy meal. New to some though is that the process of frying the fish actually increases the concentration of the mercury in the fish. What’s wrong with mercury? Johnny Depp and Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter can give a clue.

Mercury poisoning was more common a century ago due to the curing process of pelts used in certain hats. The heat in which was necessary for the mercury to be used gave off fumes in which the hat makers could not avoid. The mercury would cause neurological damage which included sloppy and nonsensical speech and distorted vision. Skilled laborers couldn’t escape their stealthy deadly crafts as clock makers also suffered from mercury poisoning. When making Ormolu clocks in the 18th century mercury was heated in combination with ground gold over a copper, bronze or brass surface. In this case it was used to make a gold clock. Similar to the hat though, the process of heating the mercury would force the fumes upon the unsuspecting clock makers and centuries later these clocks were nicknamed Death Clocks. So if fashion doesn’t kill you, time certainly will.

So what do Death Clocks and Mad Hatters have to do with Fish Fry? Truly, not much seeing as the chance of actually obtaining enough mercury in a fish fry to actually lead to mercury poisoning is slim but that’s not necessarily the point. The point is simply this – going to give something up for Lent, why not make it the fry? There are certainly other ways to get a fish fix and the Spring season of Lent offers some of the first decent weather to pull out the grill. Grilled fish is fantastically healthy but just make sure you’re not wearing a hat cured with Mercury!