Friday, February 24, 2012

Fasting on Fridays

Today is pretty simple.  During the 16th c, Wednesdays, Fridays, and sometimes Saturdays (I'm finding there is some arguments on whether Saturday was a fasting day or not, Wednesday seems to have a similar issue) were fasting days.  This meant one full meal and one collation during the day and evening.   The idea of two collations is from the 19th Century.  

Although during the period the main meal was lunch and you had your collation in the evening, that doesn't work quite as well in the modern world.   I can't stand by a stove all morning and cook up the main meal when I have to be at work.   So, I've switched them.  Bringing in some roasted almonds and a few pieces of crystallized ginger is a lot easier than trying to bring in a full meal.  Even if all I'm going to have is leftovers.  :-)  Mushrooms!  Really, they were that good.  I'm going to fry up some more tonight, have another salad, and eat up the rest of the already cooked salmon. 

This morning, I had a cup of hot chocolate.  Pope Gregory XIII ruled that hot chocolate didn't break the lenten fast.  I don't have access to all the stuff needed for period hot chocolate (more research!) so mine ended up being Nesquick with vanilla flavored almond milk.   Honestly, other the few preservatives in the Nesquick, it doesn't sound like it was that far off from period hot chocolate. It's pretty much sugar and powdered chocolate.   (One of the reasons I buy it is that there isn't any corn in it - something I'm allergic to)   Anyway, the hot chocolate was delicious and I think I'll have another cup using the vanilla flavored almond milk when I get home.


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