By name, I am catholic. By practice...I don't know what it is. I'm a sucker for traditions however, and therefore still follow the 'no meat on Fridays' that somewhere along the line became some kind of homage to our fasting ancestors during Lent. As lent approaches, I find I have no idea what I will "give up" for this period of 40 days and 40 nights. With exception to last year, I've not had any successful attempts at fasting from one of any number of my vices, which unsurprisingly have all been food related. I routinely attempt to give up soda...and within a week, fail. I once tried to give up dessert. Again, fail.
My only success has been giving up all meat save for seafood, just last year. As I'm notoriously carnivorous, it seemed it would be a daunting 40 days only eating fish and shrimp. At the beginning, I struggled to find ways to make my meals interesting and flavorful. By Easter, I found I had a surprisingly easy meat free month and a half. In fact, I'd come to not crave meat at all, and although I did break my meat fast and partook in the Easter ham, I didn't have a "Hallelujah, AMEN" moment as the ham passed between my lips. Not like the husband who gave up coffee last year and went straight back to multiple cups of the beverage the day after Easter was over.
I still consider myself a carnivore. I love meat. Give me a nice juicy steak and I'm gonna eat it. No regrets or sympathy for the bovine creature that gave its life to feed me. However, I've been noticing an increased craving for fish the past year as well. And I wasn't much of a fish person prior to last year's lent period. True, my husband has gotten me to enjoy fish when we go to Florida, and I've always loved shellfish. And true we finally had a place here smack dab in our neighborhood that sold good quality fish. (alas, our fish monger has had to close up shop due to the recession and relocated to Indianapolis so we no longer have him) But, before last year, I would prefer to eat something with beef or chicken in it over fish.
...Now I'm craving me some steamed blue crab. Oh man I'm hungry.
Back to the original dilemma...what to give up this year? If I was more of a 'devout' catholic I suppose I'd give up something really important. However, since I'm not...I'll stick to my (unhealthy) food vices. Actually I will probably give up meat again and add something else to try and reduce my intake of. Perhaps I will finally succeed at giving up soda this year. Maybe the 'fastfood' joints like McD's and Wendys won't be seeing me for the next 2 months. All three?
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