W9 Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday from a Food Perspective

            Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and being the good Italian Catholic that I am, this means that my diet tomorrow will be different than usual.  First, there is the fasting.  When most people think of fasting, they think that I mean not eating from sun up to sun down.  This used to be the case on Ash Wednesday for Catholics, but the church now allows us to eat three meals a day.  “Fasting” simply means no snacking.  This poses an interesting question for me:  I don’t eat breakfast, and never really have unless it was a special occasion, so am I allotted a third meal tomorrow?  The meal I like to call “second dinner” takes place around 9pm or so.  It is similar in nature to Taco Bell’s “fourthmeal” without eating sand in my supposed beef taco.

            Even with three meals, I am not allowed to eat meat tomorrow at all.  Obviously, giving up meat for the day is much more difficult for me to do than it is to the veteran vegetarian.  When one is not accustomed to a restricted diet, it becomes that much difficult.  Tomorrow, I plan on eating cheese pizza for some carbs, hummus for protein, and a whole lot of fruits and vegetables.  Maybe by the time second dinner rolls around, I’ll be in the mood for some fish.  Unfortunately in Athens, Ohio there are not very many places to get quality fish.  McDonald’s, Long John Silver’s, and in the frozen foods aisle at Kroeger are three places where I’d rather not eat seafood.

            The final Lenten sacrifice for us Catholics is that we are urged to give up something in our daily lives that we enjoy.  Many people choose to give up soda, or alcohol, or even using bad language.  When thinking about what to sacrifice this year, I decided that it should also be something that helps me.  After taking this class, and reading all the data and watching “Supersize Me” and “Food Inc” I’ve decided that for the forty days until Easter, I will not eat red meat.  This means no burgers, gyros, or my personal guilty pleasure, Burrito Buggy.  Giving up red meat will not only be a good thing to sacrifice for the Lenten season, but will also have a positive impact on my overall health.

            But for now, it is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Carnivale, or whatever else a culture might refer to it as.  So I think I’m going to head out and get a burger, or two; Maybe three, and enjoy its deliciousness while I can.  As for everybody else who observes Ash Wednesday tomorrow, join me and eat up!