Lenten Meditation: Penitential Fish Fries?

Fish fries are common throughout Catholic parishes in the United States during Lent. If you are unaware of what these are, the parishioners gather, generally on a Friday, and have a meal of fried fish. These events are entirely in keeping with the letter of canon law, but I would submit to you that they are not always, or even usually, in the spirit of the law.