…to ask why the Filet o’Fish is a mark of cringe?

[girljulian]

Lighthearted, but I read on a recent “ick” thread that someone was at McDonald’s with a man and he ordered a Filet o’Fish, which killed her attraction to him. This reminded me of an old video I saw of Benedict Cumberbatch doing a fond impression of Tom Hiddleston in which he had him order “a Filet o’Fish, if you still do those.” I am getting the impression that ordering a Filet o’Fish is peak cringe, but googling “what is so uncool about the Filet o’Fish” is getting me nowhere.

Someone explain the lore to me??

The only thing I could come up with myself was that maybe it’s a holdover from a time when many vegetarians ate fish and vegetarianism was also considered unmasculine, so ordering one indicates that you’re an effeminate vegetarian; and/or simply it’s cringe because it’s “unmanly” not to eat red meat. Is that it??

IANBU: it’s holdover cringe because of outdated ideas about meat and masculinity

IABU: you’re about to tell me the real mysterious reason

The advert

I live in a ME country where fish fingers don't exist...but MuckyDs & FOF do.

I don't make a habit of it, but occasionally I let the dc talk me into ordering from McDs when I really do just fancy a fish finger butty.

Ha ha, same. I even try a slice of gherkin 😆 Almost, but not quite...

On the rare occasion that I go to McD's I only have a filet o'fish. I don't have their burgers so it's limited choice. They are edible but meh. Wish they'd call them something else!

I love em and haters can get knotted

I am glad I can order on the screen now and don't need to say ..filay o fishhh...

I used to love them until they shrank them to microscopic portions. Mind you, I always had to wait for them. DS, who worked there briefly, would give a commentary; and now they are scraping it of the size of the freezer...

I’d assumed it was bc it’s fish, which can be a bit whiffy and no one wants to smell of fish do they….

I really like them. I worked at McDonalds when I was 16 and I used to be really surprised how popular they were. It took me a fair amount of time to notice it was mostly members of our (large) Muslim community who ordered them.

I'm always wary of fish being sat around in the same way they leave burgers sat around, I always thought the ick for them came from people not wanting to get a stomach bug.

Exactly this

My dad's first choice order at McDonald's though

I think the “filet o’” may be required as a legal/trade description measure because they are not an actual fillet of fish ie a full fish or half fish with the bones removed.

The name is naff and embarrassing to say out loud.

You have to wait for them to be cooked, thus pissing off the people you’re with.

McDonalds is about burgers so ordering fish feels wrong.

They’ve been around since the dawn of time and never been altered or refined in any way, lending them a seventies air.

Filet o Fish is my favourite, it's the only thing I'll eat from McDonalds. Some people are just weird.

I don't think the fillet o' fish do sit round as it always takes aaaaages for them to arrive. My family won't let me order one at the drive thru for this reason.

I love Filet o' Fish and also don't get the hysteria (my friends all audibly recoil when I mention in passing I've had one or am craving one)

The tartare sauce is BANGING imo, also would highly recommend asking if they'd put some lettuce on it for you as well - Takes it up a notch imo :')

THIS. In my experience they're sooo rarely ordered that that doesn't really happen.
Every time I order it'll take longer to come out, and is always piping hot.
I've only ever had one bad Filet o' Fish in my life and that was from a Maccies in a dodgy part of Scotland!

You are so showing your age there!

Literally my first thought too. 😆

I think it's the idea of "why order a crappy fish sandwich when you can have a juicy beef burger or chicken burger even" I'm not a fan of the fillet of fish🤢

A massive fish 'finger' in a bun with some tartare (?) sauce and slaggy cheese. What's not to love?

(I genuinely used to eat nothing else at Maccy Ds).

Damnit I really want one now.

Can you describe McDonald’s burgers as juicy though? They’re dry as anything.

Love a filet o fish. Extra cheese, onion and pickles.

Someone on here thought they were called a Philip the fish until they were into their 30s. I'd love to have heard them order.

As long as they have enough sauce they're lovely, though my favourite maccies food is the double sausage and egg mcmuffin, marvellous 🤤🤤🤤

Sorry that's to @Queijo

I also always think of the advert 🤣