Lent and Meat

You know what? It's really hard not to eat meat. I've been trying to do this as a Lenten discipline, after trying a couple other disciplines that weren't going anywhere those first few days. Giving up meat is my default discipline, and it never lets me down.

It's HARD. Meat is everywhere, it's so so easy to buy, eat, and cook. It tastes amazingly good. And vegetarian options at most restaurants aren't very good.

So, I find it's good for me to try this every year. And it does really feel like a deprivation... I miss it. I crave it. And I'm sure I look forward to Sundays, when you're allowed a feast day to help you maintain your fast. (Does Valentine's Day count as a feast? Adam and I are going to a Greek place, and not to eat lamb...?)

I should eat less meat anyway (so should all of us) -- for my health, and because it takes so much oil, pesticide, and factory farming to raise beef, pork, lamb, or chicken. I am eating fish, because otherwise it's just too hard. But Adam and I made red snapper the other night, and then I checked this "safe fish" guide from Shedd Aquarium, and not only is red snapper chronically overfished, it's likely to have unsafe levels of mercury in it!

Yeah, I realize no food is entirely safe or PC.

But you know, we eat so much meat and fish that it really isn't good for the world. People used to eat meat once a week, on Sundays. I'm not saying we should go back to cabbage and potatoes (which is what my ancestors would have eaten... well, cabbage, potatoes, and CHEESE, important difference!). But I'm going to stand on my high horse and say that we probably don't need to eat meat every day. Or twice a day. (Please tell me none of my readers eat meat three times a day?)

Ok, sermon over.