Friday, April 15, 2011
“FISH AGAIN”
That is my nephew Pannon bewailing the fact that for a week now, the family has been eating creatures with fins, claws and shells for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Especially fish.
“It’s the Lenten Season, Pannon; be patient,” his grandmother, my Tita Blitte, tells him.
“Why do they lengthen the season, lola?” the boy asks.
We all have a good laugh, knowing that the boy has a point. Daily subsisting on fish and other sea denizens as the main protein of the day can seem like a long, long time in a faraway land.
My aunt stops laughing and seriously tells Pannon: “It’s not lengthen, Pannon; it’s Lenten. Lent is a Catholic tradition, the period of the church year from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
“The church traditional helps all believers to prepare for the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, which all happen during Holy Week. We all prepare through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial. The last one means not doing something enjoyable or eating food that we really like.
“Food is the easiest area that we can do sacrifice. In our case, we don’t eat meat; just seafood because it’s not as tasty as pork and beef.”
Pannon looks at his grandmother and says, “Well, I don’t really hate shrimps and crabs, lola. And I don’t really hate fish, but not just every day.”
That lesson gives me an idea for today’s column: What to eat during the Lenten Season.
I start to walk away, when Pannon asks once more: “But, lola, why is it lent? Isn’t lent the past tense of lend?”
OMG, the boy has sense. When I think of the Lenten Season, I see it as God lending us the life of his son so that we may all be spared the reality of being barbecued in hell. However, before I can open my big mouth to explain, my aunt beats me to it.
“In the olden days, Lent was known by the Latin word quadragesima, or ‘fortieth’. This refers to the 40th day before Easter and the 40 days of fasting to come.
“During the Middle Ages sermons were no longer said in Latin, and so the English term ‘lent’ was used. It is a word from the Germanic name for Spring Lencten and the Anglo-Saxon name for March Lenct. Lencten comes from the Germanic root for ‘long’ as Spring is the time of year when the days become longer.”
Pannon’s eyes light up like a birthday candle. “So, lola, Lent is really long,” he says triumphantly.
We all laugh again and go each our way so as not to prolong the discussion. I quickly go to my beloved computer and start today’s agenda. I still believe that by eating fish I don’t really punish myself. For one, I like fish. And for two, I like fish. And for three, I like fish.
Perhaps the notion of sacrifice will only work for those who hate fish. However, fish-haters don’t have to keep hiding in a subterranean cave. There are several ways that they can enjoy the finned brother of Nemo.
The most popular among the lot is tuna salad or fish fillet sandwich. Next time you have a barbecue, use prawns instead of fish. Stuffed squid makes a mighty main dish also.
Fish adobo comes as a remarkable substitute for the pork original. One I tasted in the house of my friend Ximo came with fried tofu. You can also ask your mom to make sopa de mariscos (literally soup of the sea), which uses white wine, tomato sauce, white fish fillet and other seafoods.
On this flat note I make my exit. I’m off to a long vacation.
When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 16, 2011.
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