I’ve been on the road a lot the past few weeks, eating well on all trips: in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Wausau, Wisconsin; Asheville, North Carolina and Baltimore, Maryland. Two traditions stood out during these trips: the Friday night fish fry in Wisconsin and the search for the best crab cake in Baltimore.

Soon after arriving in Wisconsin to check out the cultivated ginseng scene as part of our larger American ginseng project (reported here earlier), my partner in crime Arlene and I started hearing about Friday night fish fries. It seemed that, no matter what sort of restaurant we ate at, fish fry was listed on the menu as the Friday special. This tradition seems to be rank right up there with that other Wisconsin culinary habit – smothering just about everything in cheese. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.

I stayed through Friday and experienced my fish fry at one of the recommended locations: Nueske’s at Gulliver’s Landing just outside of Wausau. This classic nautically themed, informal establishment was packed on a Friday night. I had a good 40 minute wait to take in the scenery (shelves of model ships and other maritime curios) and the multi-generational families who make up the clientele, many greeted by first names upon arriving. Clearly, this was a local favorite and I eagerly looked forward to my fish fry experience.

I was rewarded with two generous pieces of hand-breaded haddock, something called a “twice baked potato” (which, not surprisingly, was smothered in cheese), cole slaw and a large slab of rye bread. All that, and live music at the bar – two older gentleman playing Johnny Cash and John Denver tunes.

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A couple of weeks later, I was in Baltimore at the American Folklore Society conference, a yearly ritual for all folklorists. Though I really should have grabbed a quick lunch and attended a section meeting, instead I set out at a brisk pace on the Saturday of the conference, with some co-conspirators from our Inner Harbor hotel to Lexington Market to try out Faidley’s, which makes it to many “best crab cake” lists. And, indeed, in no uncertain terms (via several large signs) proclaims itself as serving Baltimore’s Best Crab Cake.

The market has been in existence since 1782, and Faidley’s since 1886. It’s hard to argue with that depth of history. Our crab cakes were huge and delicious, tasting subtly of the bay and of Old Bay, and though one of them cost twice as much as my entire Wisconsin fish fry, it was worth it.

They say fish is brain food, and I feel smarter if not thinner for having indulged in finny wonders from the Great Lakes to the Chesapeake Bay.

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