Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1918-05-18
A COUNTRY FISH FRY

Never attended country fish fry, where
the fathers catch the fish, the mothers Try
them and the boys and the girls dance on
the rudely erected platform and play ring
around the roses on the most convenient
green sward? MOI Then, using the ver-
nacular of the southern plantation colored
person, ''You sho hab mis- haf yor lif.' 1t
often hapens, however, that there is no fish
to fry at fish frys, which is about the same
as some of the lemonade that is sold at such
gatherings made without lemons, or the ice
cream, made without cream, that is to say,
the men fail to catch any fish, but it's fish
fry just the same and Jest as much fun
wifoutum as wifum.''
Within fifteen mile radius there is sell
dom more than one fish fry season and
plans are made for that from four to six
weeks before it is pulled off, thus giving the
danes, the damsels and even the damn sons
ample time to get good and ready for the
fun, fuss and fury And thus as intimated
above a fish fry frequently only bears the
name, and by no means the blame. AS
matter of fact, a fish fry is nothing more
nor less than an anual neighborhood get
together, on the banks of some creek, lake
or lagoon, that it may smack of fish, where
saints and sinners, young and old can fra
ternize without the saints 'giten churched'
for associating with the ungody. For, be
it remembered, that it is strictly against
the rules Of the church for Gods elect to
sit in the seat with sinners or get in the
way of the scornful (ungodly), but, on fish
fry occasions, saints and sinners sit down
together, walk and talk together, and, it
sometimes happens, dance together, the
saint not crossing his or her legs, which, if
not done, is not actual dancing.
The creeks or haVO11S On whose ha INKS fish
frys are held are semi-rivers that either
empty directly into a great river or some
arm thereof, hence they not only TEEN with
fish, but with such other acquatic life as is
common to warm sluggish climates, and so
in trying to catch fish for the occasion other
things are rounded up and their appear
ance on the scene means wholesale squit-
terment of the would-be fish garners. That
a bountiful supply of fish be on hand to
fry for the coming crowd certain of the
men meet the day before 1.-THE day. and
drag the creek with seins, which generally
result in wagon load Of fish being ready
for the DANES to fry on the day of the
happy event Catfish, alligator CARS and
sturgeon, weighing from one to one hun
dred pounds, are brought in by the seiners,
and periodically real alligator or mon
ster water moccasin is brought to shoal
land in the sein, when men brave and
brawny drop sein and fish and make hasty
retreats.
Each family brings baskets of food, which
are turned over to the committee Of prepar-
alton, and it sets about, as soon as possible,
to get the table ready for the dinner The
fish are fried as fast as possible and that
means much, for it is necessary to fry many
fish to give all present good feed
Much time elapse between the first as
sembling Of the crowd and when dinner is
called, and in the interim every body and
his nelghbor enjoy hog killing time The
older heads among the men compare notes
OF the past year and plan for the next sea-
sons meet; the mothers gossip, while the
young girls and boys for the most part