We need to have a come to Jesus moment about Lent
My brothers in Christ, we’re supposed to be fasting, not eating caviar
Audio By Carbonatix
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Even if you’re not Christian, you may be aware that it’s currently Lent, a religious fasting observance practiced ahead of Easter by Christians of all denominations, and especially Catholics. The tradition stems from a Biblical tale in which Jesus is said to have spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert, fasting, praying, and avoiding the temptations of Satan.
Since we’re only human, the Lent season for many kicks off with what is intended to be a final round of debauchery to blow off steam before fasting; Mardis Gras celebrations in places like New Orleans and St. Louis, and, thanks to our Polish friends here in metro Detroit, Fat Tuesday, where we indulge in delicious yet artery-clogging paczki. I was raised in a loose Roman Catholic home, and we were taught to give up meat on Fridays during Lent (with the exception of fish) and also to make a Lenten sacrifice by abstaining from some other vice for the duration of the season. For us kids, it was usually silly stuff like eating candy, playing video games, or swearing.
I consider myself a bit of a “cultural Catholic” now, and while I no longer go to Mass or even identify as a Christian, I always appreciated the rituals, art, and holidays of the Catholic Church — even Lent. I saw the value in exercising self-discipline, and while I don’t really participate anymore, I have in the past as an adult given up things like alcohol or sweets to use the season to try and instill better habits beyond the 40 days and 40 nights. I also have friends who participate in the Muslim Ramadan fast for similar reasons.
That’s why I’m sitting at my desk right now, sifting through Lent-related press releases, bemused by all of the ways that businesses are trying to capitalize on what is supposed to be a solemn season of self-reflection.
For example, Olga’s Kitchen framed its new collaboration with fellow metro Detroit-based brand McClure’s Pickles, a twist on a Louisiana-style Po’Boy sandwich, as an option for those practicing Lent, announcing the new menu item on Fat Tuesday ($9.99). OK, fine. I can get behind that one. A cursory search in my email inbox for the word “Lent” reveals a smattering of other seafood-related promotions: fish and chips at upscale Hazel’s in Birmingham ($23), or “Lobster Amore,” North Atlantic cold-water lobster tail with sides, from local Italian chain Andiamo ($49.95).
But the email that stopped me in my tracks and made me question my faith in… well, just about everything… was a promotion for “Caviar Dishes This Lenten Season” from Joe Muer Seafood.
“For a limited time only, Joe Muer Bloomfield Hills is offering their guests three tiers of caviar options to enhance their dining experience this Lenten season,” it reads. Well, talk about a “Holy trinity!”
According to the press release, “All caviar dishes are served on ice with traditional garnish of chopped egg white & yolk, fresh chives, minced chives, and creme fraiche with warm blinis.” The include the “Tradition Prestige” ($95), the “Siberian Classic” ($150), and the “Oscietra Royal” ($275), described as “Rich, nutty, creamy flavors of pear, hazelnut and butter, with a nose of nuts and sea urchin.”
My brothers in Christ… what are we doing. We kinda-Catholics have completely lost the plot.
I’m admittedly quickly skimming through Google here, but apparently the Catholic tradition of eating fish during Lent followed an earlier papal ban prohibiting eating “flesh, meat, and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese, and eggs.” For whatever reason, meat from warmblooded animals was considered off-limits, while coldblooded animals like fish were considered fair game. A persistent theory alleges that even back in those days, it was business interests driving Lent habits via a shady deal with the Church to prop up the Italian fish industry. (This telling of Lent history has been deemed “fishy” by NPR.) I’m still skimming Google, but it seems in reality, eating fish was probably favored during Lent because medieval peasants were already basically fasting anyway and they needed something substantial to eat, and fish could be more easily preserved via curing. And to be sure, businesses cashing in on Lent is hardly anything new: today I learned that an enterprising McDonald’s franchise owner in Cincinnati invented the Filet-O-Fish sandwich in the 1960s as a way to make up for declining hamburger sales during Lent.
Look, I’m in no way interested in being a “Catholicism Cop” here. People are free to practice religion — or not practice religion — however they please. If they want to “observe Lent” by “eating $275 caviar,” go for it. It’s not them I take issue with. What I can’t stand is the way that every American holiday, whether Lent or Halloween or whatever, becomes hollowed of any and all meaning and turns into just another excuse to buy stuff. I take issue with those who claim they’re doing one thing, but really doing another. Didn’t Jesus have something to say about those who “make my Father’s house a house of merchandise?”
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