There was a time in the far past where I participated in the Lenten sacrifice ritual. You can do positive works during Lent; sacrifice is an option. At the time, sacrifice was presented as virtually the only option.
The concept is that you give up something Monday-Saturday but can indulge on Sundays during the time on the calendar between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. My mother, addicted to soft drinks, encouraged us to give up soft drinks. Lent also required to abstain from meat on Fridays.
The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted more than a year, much longer than the 6-7 weeks of Lent. One of the culinary casualties was fried foods. I have only had 4 servings of French fries during the pandemic. This is more a matter of practicality. Indoor dining is tough and French fries don't travel well. Most Americans gladly eat in their cars; alas there is no car for your humble narrator.
My food pandemic dream is fried clam strips. I grew up with great fried clam strips from Bill Knapp's (regional) and Howard Johnson's (national). I seem to recall buying frozen clam strips but could not find them during the pandemic.
Those clam strips were dark, the ideal color of deep fried goodness. Can't remember the last time I had fried clam strips yet pandemic dreams don't follow a logical path.
You likely are asking right now: "Just get an air fryer and you can be safe in your own home." Fair question. The pandemic has left me poor enough that getting an air fryer is impractical. There is also the skeptical element that an air fryer can achieve the true status of deep-fried goodness. I shall not praise or bash air fryers until I get to try them in action. For the moment, air fryers are a future topic.
Looking at food as we enter the first full winter of the pandemic
McDonald's Quarter Pounder hot and juicy claims are laughable
KFC's Double Down brings plenty of calories but not the flavor
More than a year since the world shut down, I decided to indulge in deep-fried food, a place I didn't know before the pandemic. The location is near a bus route that could take me home quickly, a concern with deep fried food.
This place had clam strips and onion rings, among other deep fried treats. Yes, could have done French fries but they travel more poorly than other fast food. Clam strips and onion rings were on my menu.
Waiting more than a year for deep fried goodness was nice 9 Lenten times strung back-to-back. Your humble narrator was about to eat greasy food.
Limiting the order to clam strips and onion rings made absorbing the grease much easier. A proverbial buffet would have been problematic. Must start slow.
The main criticism of the deep fried food was the light color: this was not deep-fried goodness. Funny when people say you should eat with your eyes. Color matters.
We had a similar critique when we indulged in the KFC Double Down sandwich. The color of the pictures was dark brown; what we got was beige.
The clam strips and onion rings were beige, not a good sign. Beige does well as a bra color, not a food color.
One can't be picky in the desert. The tartar sauce was very ordinary; I could make better tartar sauce in 10 minutes. The clam strips didn't have much flavor. The onion rings were slightly above average despite the beige exterior.
The food was still delicious but in a way like you haven't had much deep fried food in a year and you can't be picky.
BalanceofFood.com fast food coverage
Fast food usually doesn't mean quality food or presentation. Eating dark colored fast food items means quality preparation. We have examined the idea of replicating restaurant food at home during the pandemic. Fast food items could use a great upgrade in the home. We would love to try an air fryer when finances are in better shape. Given the economy and pandemic, a better economic future might be a pipe dream, like duplicating fast food items in the home.
photo credit: me
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