The McDonald's Filet-O-Fish: An Invention Set in Motion by the Catholic Church
Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, the Catholic season of fasting, repentance and abstinence leading up to Easter. During this forty day period, Catholics are asked to "give something up", as a way to show devotion to God. The thing that they choose to give up is supposed to be something that is difficult, such as chocolate, sports or shopping. There have been many modifications to the season of Lent over the decades but most of the traditions remain somewhat in effect today. One such tradition is the fasting from meat on every Friday during Lent. This is meant to symbolize a couple of things: one, Jesus was the flesh that was crucified on Good Friday, and meat represents that flesh. Giving it up is a way to acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Second, meat is known to many as an indulgence and by refraining from it, we are denying ourselves the pleasure of such an indulgence, therefore learning what it means to make a sacrifice as Jesus did. The general rule is that the meat of warm blooded animals is off limits. This means that fish (and to some people, chicken) are not considered "meat." There was a time when eggs, milk products and alcohol were also part of the Friday fast.
One thing many people might not know is that the notion of giving up meat on Fridays is actually what produced the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich! Back in the 1960s, a man named Lou Groen, who owned a McDonald's in Cincinnati (the city's first) was becoming discouraged because the restaurant was losing business on Fridays. The area was heavily Catholic, and Catholics did not eat meat on Fridays (back then, it was customary to refrain from meat on Fridays all year round); meat was (and is) a large portion of the McDonald's menu. In an effort to save his business, Groen decided to create a fish sandwich, as fish was not off limits to Catholics (Groen himself knew this, as he is also Catholic.) After a wager with another McDonald's bigwig, Lou Groen added the Filet-O-Fish sandwich to the McDonald's menu and sold over 300 sandwiches on the day it premiered! By the mid-80s, Groen owned over 40 McDonald's restaurants in Ohio and Kentucky.
Some might think that the Catholic tradition of giving up meat on Fridays is a bit silly and perhaps unnecessary. Even some practicing Catholics don't adhere to the rule. However, in a way, Catholics saved Groen's business and McDonald's as we know it, thanks to their willingness to submit to their Savior and make a sacrifice for a few weeks during Lent. I'm sure that McDonald's would have survived without a Filet-O-Fish sandwich but one thing is for certain: we have Catholics to thank for its creation
J/k
But their Chicken Nuggets tastes even better... 
Yummy!
or else that would be my last supper.. 
Hybrid Mode
