Ahhh Lent, when the whole world suddenly becomes Roman Catholic. Back in Colorado the world is more secular about Lent than here in the wilds of New Jersey. I'm dining in restaurants here and I'm always hearing "I can't have XYZ because I gave it up for Lent" from fellow diners.
I come from a VERY Catholic town - Buffalo NY - and Lent there is almost a celebration. You start with wearing the ashes as a symbol of your intent to Lent. Then the season of fasting kicks off with the HUGE celebration of Mardi Gras. We don't have Mardi Gras officially in Buffalo, but hey - anything for a party. Look at St. Patricks which falls during Lent.
Lent kicks off with the obligatory listing of things you're giving up. Most of my cohorts gave up things like caviar, pate, lemonchello, basically things we'd never touch outside of Lent either. But giving up meat on Friday - that is what makes Lent a celebration rather than a time of repentance and introspection. Instead of meat we would have fish fry on Friday. If you never had a fish fry in Buffalo, you have to head up there next Lent. I suggest fasting all day because you're going to need to. A Buffalo fish fry consists of the following: heroic portions of potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, and the star of the show a piece of haddock (beer battered or breaded) the size of the Pequod.
This is people being people in action - taking something that was meant to be solemn and turning it into a party. And as you'll see, evolution is the only constant about Lent.
Lent, being nothing but a Catholic invention, is nothing for anyone to really even care about. It's just a bunch of legalistic nonsense.
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