Why is clam choward always served on fridays in restaurants?

Question

why is it that it seems like every friday clam choward is the feature soup in restaurants?

Answer 1

It's actually clam CHOWDER.

Serving fish or shellfish on Friday is a tradition that stems from back in the day when the Catholic Church didn't allow Catholics to eat meat on Fridays.  Since Vatican II (mid-1960's) Catholics are only asked to not eat meat on Fridays during Lent, but fish on Friday has just become a custom.

Answer 2

cause friday is clam chowder day

Answer 3

It's the religious card being played. No meat Fridays, and all.

Answer 4

Catholics eat more seafood on fridays because they arn't supposed to eat "meat" on fridays.  Restaurants are prolly run by catholics or the restaurant has lots of catholic patrons.

Answer 5

What is clam "choward"?

Answer 6

As a penance, the Roman Catholic Church forbade the eating of meat on Fridays. Many people opted to eat fish instead. Thus, when going to a restaurant, clam chowder was offered on Fridays so the Catholics would have a chance to eat soup.

Answer 7

The restaurants got in this habit as a way to give a soup option during lent (meatless Fridays) and the tradition has continued

Answer 8

The real reason the Catholics were told to eat fish on Fridays:  at one time there was a slump in the fishing market and the fishing industry in Italy was suffering. So to help out the good old fishermen the Pope told everyone they had to eat fish on Fridays. So the industry survived and the Pope said it was for fasting. Everyone was happy and someone invented clam chowder, now we are all happy.