Back in my childhood, Lent was mostly observed by practicint abstinence from Ash Wednesday to every Friday before Easter Sunday especially Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday. We did so by restricting ourselves to some sautéed veggies sans meat (neither chicken nor pork nor beef) and maybe a couple or so fried fish (or fishes if there's such a plural term), and I hated it, and that might have been the idea at the time: to "not enjoy," to be somber. Then maturity and independence happened, and with it some ingenuity, like redefining abstinence. "It's Lent, abstinence time. Let's have some seafood pasta, maybe some shrimp scampi. How about lobster?!?" It's no surprise that seafood restaurants are busy during Lent. I wonder how steakhouses made out last night. The Fish Market was packed!!! Is it right to obvserve Good Friday by practicing abstinence by means of good seafood entrées? Should I have subjected myself to crappy canned sardines and rice, and if I did, wouldn't this or any effort to avoid meat be pretentious, even patronizing, since I haven't been to church for years nor have I lately given unsolicited acknowledgement to the what Lent really is?

I should be honest to myself. Abstinence should be sincere and not be just a simple gesture. Maybe next year...