20 years later, they would not have gone anywhere—but with the old Catholic abstinence on Friday, and ultra-cheap way of having fish on hand for fast food restaurants as well as convenience for those going pre-processed food found a ready market.
WTF would ever try to sell dried lima bean sticks??
Yep, our family was not Catholic but followed the no meat on Fridays during lent. Sure to have fish sticks on Friday except the occasional 5 lb box of shrimp when the budget could afford it.
Some food is simply too economical not to exist.
Today, people gobble up chicken wings. Tomorrow, it will be beaks & talons, with some kind of Asian sauce.
The fish stick sells fish that would otherwise have no market.
I expect that the Lima Bean stick was simply an attempt to move Lima Beans, which don’t really have much of a fan base.
I went to a public school, but I clearly remember fish sticks were served in the cafeteria EVERY Friday. Good Friday was completely meatless.