Poll: If you fast for religious reasons, which is worse is your opinion?

[Tigger]

It is my understanding that fasting during Lent is directly connected with alms giving. (This may just be EO) the point being that fasting from meat leaves more room in the budget to give to the poor. Coming from that perspective I would say eating the salad would be the better option.

 

For Roman Catholics, not eating meat on Friday's through Lent (and Ash Wednesday) is a form of penance; since Vatican II, the requirement to do some form of penance or sacrifice on Friday throughout the year has not changed, it is still an obligation, just that now it doesn't have to be not eating meat throughout the year, but one can still do that if they choose to.

[scrapbookbuzz]

MOST "bacon bits" are all artificial (read: contain no meat, whatsoever) so I'm thinking they just should have kept on eating.

[Parrothead]

 

 

 

Is that part of your Lenten sacrifice?

Not really. I think the portions sizes are ridiculous on a regular day. It would be too much temptation to finish all that food on a day I am supposed to be fasting.

[TravelingChris]

I said wasting the salad. I am not into legalism. I think God knows what is in our hearts and the attempt to do what you think he wants is most important. Of course, I think the rule is wrong anyway simply because if we held to this belief, Fridays would become a day of celebration for me since I would love to have a GOd mandated reason to buy expensive fish to eat (at least here it is a lot more expensive to buy fish versus buying meat and really, it is also more expensive to buy cheese).

[Rosie_0801]

I think they should have looked a bit more carefully at what they were eating in the first place, but since they paid for their salad, they are not harming anyone else by whichever choice they feel they need to make.

 

Rosie

[Murphy101]

I said wasting the salad. I am not into legalism. I think God knows what is in our hearts and the attempt to do what you think he wants is most important. Of course, I think the rule is wrong anyway simply because if we held to this belief, Fridays would become a day of celebration for me since I would love to have a GOd mandated reason to buy expensive fish to eat (at least here it is a lot more expensive to buy fish versus buying meat and really, it is also more expensive to buy cheese).

 

In some areas the Church has them give up fish. Or both. And many Catholics give up cheese and milk as well.

[ElizaG]

Actually it isn't much different - while Jews and Muslims hold pigs to be unclean, and abtain from eating their flesh, Catholics abstain from meat on Friday's to abstain from eating flesh of an animal because Jesus gave up his flesh by dying on the cross.

In practical terms, it's very different. As some PPs have mentioned, Muslims and Jews are supposed to abstain from all traces of meat and meat products from certain animals.

 

OTOH, on days of abstinence, Catholics are just supposed to abstain from flesh meat per se, and (at least in pre-1983 practice) soups and sauces made from meat. Other animal products such as lard or gelatin have always been considered okay. So, while bacon bits wouldn't be allowed, I'm pretty sure that making a reasonable attempt to pick them out would be fine, as we're not concerned about contamination in trace amounts.

 

St. Anthony Messenger says that even meat broths and gravies are permitted by the 1983 code of canon law. Their article specifically mentions that it would be okay to have small crumbs of bacon remaining in the hot fat in a wilted salad dressing. Our family is more strict than this -- we prefer to avoid anything that's recognizably meaty-tasting, and wouldn't do a bacon dressing on purpose -- but in an accidental situation in a restaurant, I wouldn't get worked up about it.

[ElizaG]

Of course, I think the rule is wrong anyway simply because if we held to this belief, Fridays would become a day of celebration for me since I would love to have a GOd mandated reason to buy expensive fish to eat

This is why the rule was changed for Fridays outside of Lent, as Tigger mentioned. For some families in the 50's and 60's, abstaining from meat had turned into an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet extravaganza, which clearly went against the spirit of the whole thing. These days, we're supposed to choose some sort of penance that's personally meaningful to do on Fridays. The specific rules are up to the local bishops, but the options could include giving up meat, reading a chapter of the Bible, doing volunteer work, etc.

 

Unfortunately, it seems as if most Catholics just heard the "hey, we can eat meat on Fridays now!" part, and not the part where we're expected to substitute another form of penance. :001_huh: We also lost the symbolism of eating fish, which was an important part of our heritage and something that united us. So, in recent years, some countries' bishops have decided to go back to the no-meat rule for Fridays year-round.

Edited October 6, 2011 by Eleanor
fixed URL

[Sputterduck]

Why not just take it home and eat it the next day?

[WeeBeaks]

Me personally? Eat the salad. I'm not legalistic, though I do try to follow the tenants of my faith. But I believe the purpose of the law is sacrifice and prayer. Wasting food is wrong to me. Because of that though we don't eat out on Fridays of Lent and don't eat fish unless canned tuna or something really cheap. It bothers me personally to spend or go out on those days, whether it is for fish or not. It comes up every year too in our household because we have leftovers to deal with from Thursday. Do we eat them if they have meat and avoid making fresh food (and risking them going bad by Saturday)? My DH eats them and says that it his penance ... leftovers to save money and thus can donate more to the church. I do think to Jesus and his outrage at church leaders telling him he shouldn't have healed a man on the Sabbath because it was work. I don't personally view legalism as what is asked of us by Jesus.

 

I don't quibble with another adult interpreting it differently on the salad at all. I will answer for my own sins at the end of my life, and that other adult will theirs.

 

For those interested, I tried to look it up in my Catechism of the Catholic Church and couldn't find much info, nothing directly stated about meat on Fridays interestingly. It is Canon law 1251 I finally found, and interestingly states ALL Fridays, but the Conference of Bishops is given authority to change it, and state in the US it is recommended to avoid meat all Fridays but not required. Interesting.

Edited October 6, 2011 by WeeBeaks

[ElizaG]

It comes up every year too in our household because we have leftovers to deal with from Thursday.

Yes, this is something that calls for a little advance planning. I think this is why Thursday was traditionally "soup night" in many countries. :)

[sewingmama]

If they had been guests at someone's home, though, and that person had served the salad, I do think that eating it would have been the right thing to do, rather than refusing or wasting. I know that people have different opinions on that, but my view on it is that being a gracious guest supercedes ethical or religious choices or obligations.

 

Being a gracious host means not being offended when a guest won't eat what you serve for ethical or religious reasons. I would never force a vegetarian to eat meat etc even if they didn't let me know of their dietry restrictions beforehand. I would happily make them something else - who am I to force my personal opinion on others for the sake of being polite.

 

I am LDS - if someone served me coffee or alcohol or food made with these items then I would not eat it. I have made covenants with God that I would not eat these things and I think that supercedes being a polite guest.

 

I don't buy the arguement that "God would rather have you be a polite guest or not waste food then to follow your beliefs". In my case being LDS - God has told us not to drink coffee or alcohol - I don't think it is written anywhere that he said - unless you are served it by a friend then you can eat it so not to hurt their feelings ;) The bolded part is what we call a rationalisation - you can rationalise all you want but it doesn't make it right - it's just an excuse to do the wrong thing.

 

Yes people are starving in the world -but eating or not eating your salad is not going to help them out. If you feel terribly about it then go and do something proactive about fighting world hunger - feeling guilty that you are not eating the salad is just a way to quiet your conscience into believing like you ARE doing something to stop starvation but really you aren't.

 

 

So I say - waste the salad and keep your promises to God :001_smile:

Edited October 6, 2011 by sewingmama

[Slartibartfast]

People who honor Lent are choosing to make a sacrifice.

 

 

I do normally have a stick up my butt about waste and whatever but I think in that situation, if I had chosen to forgo meat, then I would have stopped eating the salad. It isn't up to us to tell others how to worship.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Sis

[nrg]

If you have made a commitment with God to avoid meat, then you don't eat it. Wasting the salad is better than using the salad to break your promise. You didn't ask about eating the salad and picking out the bacon...

[ktgrok]

I think if gravy is ok during lent, bacon bits are probably too. I wouldn't put them on on purpose, but I think this particular issue is about the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law.

[ElizaG]

I don't buy the arguement that "God would rather have you be a polite guest or not waste food then to follow your beliefs". In my case being LDS - God has told us not to drink coffee or alcohol - I don't think it is written anywhere that he said - unless you are served it by a friend then you can eat it so not to hurt their feelings ;)

For Catholics, abstaining from meat isn't a promise we make to God. It's a rule made by the Church, with the goal of helping to bring us closer to God.

 

We're allowed to break this rule if we're a guest at a meal, and insisting on keeping it would cause great offense to our host. As ktgrok said, it's meant to be more about the spirit than the letter.

 

 

http://littlecatholicbubble.blogspot.com/2011/03/rules-for-lent-refresher.html

 

http://www.stoughtonlifeteen.com/answers.asp?id=977

[Laurie4b]

In a restaurant, I think either would be fine (eating or wasting).

 

If they had been guests at someone's home, though, and that person had served the salad, I do think that eating it would have been the right thing to do, rather than refusing or wasting. I know that people have different opinions on that, but my view on it is that being a gracious guest supercedes ethical or religious choices or obligations. If we're talking about a situation where the person either didn't state their dietary needs/preferences ahead of time, or they did and the host didn't realize the dressing had meat, I do think that the right thing to do is to just go ahead and eat it without making a fuss. (Food allergies/sensitivities are another thing, obviously.) Now, if you said that you were abstaining from meat and the person decided to serve steaks, that would be a different situation, but I can't really see that happening too often.

 

That's just my stance on it. I wouldn't criticize or question another person about why they refused to eat something their host served them. But, personally I think that being a grateful, gracious guest is a more pressing moral obligation than keeping to dietary guidelines, even religious ones.

 

In a restaurant, though, the gracious guest thing isn't an issue, so I think it really just depends on what the individual felt more comfortable with.

:iagree: in a restaurant, i would have stopped eating had I been fasting--or just picked them out.

[swellmomma]

If they are paying for it and it is a firm religious belief to not eat meat on that day then they did the right thing to stop. I assume these were actual bacon bits and not simulated :)

 

Off to read the rest of the replies

[8circles]

Abstaining from meat on Fridays isn't about the bacon. Or any other meat. To think that, and to waste a full plate of perfectly good food completely misses the point.

 

The point of abstention is self-sacrifice. Telling mainstream Catholics "no meat on Fridays" is a relatively easy way to teach the lesson. Many Catholics eat no meat on Fridays all year long - not just during Lent. Many Catholics eat no meat for all of Lent.

 

The idea and history of abstention within Catholicism is an interesting one. It lies behind such things as vows of silence -- when you aren't focused on one thing, you can be more focused on God -- which is the point of skipping the meat, by the way...

 

I'm rambling...

 

 

a

 

I agree with this totally. All the other explanations sound so legalistic to me.

[8circles]

I just don't think that needlessly throwing out a plateful of food when there are so many people starving to death would help me feel closer to God. Quite the opposite, in fact.

 

Well-said & I agree with you.

[Little Nyssa]

In EO, providing AND accepting hospitality are virtues. When these conflict with fasting rules, one has to give way. Sometimes you choose one, sometimes the other.

[HRAAB]

Depends on where I'm at and who was providing the food. I've had this happen a couple times where I felt it would have been extremely rude to not eat. At my sister's rehearsal pizza dinner her future in-laws ordered pizza - all with meat. They had absolutely no idea about Catholics and abstaining during Lent. I could have picked off the meat, but it could have offended them and I didn't want to risk that. Another time at work we were having a barbeque and they made a special effort to buy chicken for me thinking chicken was okay. (I don't live in a highly populated Catholic area). I went ahead and ate the chicken. Under other circumstances I might not have eaten the food but put it aside for another meal.

 

I have huge issues with waste of any kind and possibly offending people who are extending me a courtesy. I do not believe that is what God wants. Making a public scene, drawing attention to myself or wasting food is not in the spirit of Lent imo. In fact, intentionally wasting food (knowing that it'll be thrown out) is a sin for me. God has got to be bigger than the rules.

[justamouse]

Yes, this is something that calls for a little advance planning. I think this is why Thursday was traditionally "soup night" in many countries. :)

 

Ahhh see. the old timers knew how to do it.

 

We fast meats on Friday and Wed (gladly), but I've been running into the leftover problem. I'm sure after a while I would have figured it out, but now I get to waste less food and someone teach me how to do it. :-)

 

I think if gravy is ok during lent, bacon bits are probably too. I wouldn't put them on on purpose, but I think this particular issue is about the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law.

 

Exactly.

 

Abstaining from meat on Fridays isn't about the bacon. Or any other meat. To think that, and to waste a full plate of perfectly good food completely misses the point.

 

The point of abstention is self-sacrifice. Telling mainstream Catholics "no meat on Fridays" is a relatively easy way to teach the lesson. Many Catholics eat no meat on Fridays all year long - not just during Lent. Many Catholics eat no meat for all of Lent.

 

The idea and history of abstention within Catholicism is an interesting one. It lies behind such things as vows of silence -- when you aren't focused on one thing, you can be more focused on God -- which is the point of skipping the meat, by the way...

 

I'm rambling...

 

 

a

 

It was an excellent ramble. Ramble away.

[HRAAB]

In EO, providing AND accepting hospitality are virtues. When these conflict with fasting rules, one has to give way. Sometimes you choose one, sometimes the other.

 

That's what I meant, and you said it so simply.

[Aquinas Academy]

Almost all bacon bits in salad-bar type restaurants are made out of soy and are artificially flavored. Look on a bottle of Bac-os, the bottle says they contain no meat or animal fat.

 

So, I voted that wasting the salad is worse.

:iagree:

I've had "bacon" bits on salad and I'm a fairly strict vegetarian.

As to whether or not to eat the salad, I think it varies depending on the person's own Lenten journey.

[gardenmom5]

I've been in a simliar situation where I ordered an item off the menu that contained an item I do not consume for religious reasons (and I despise the taste of anyway, so it's no great loss). the menu didn't mention it was used - I sent it back and ordered something else. encourages the restaurant into full disclosure on ingredients.

 

regarding the bacon bits, you'd have thought someone would have noticed the bits while they were still at the buffet. But the restaurant, again, could have included a small sign listing major ingredients so that people who do not want to consume something in it are warned in advance.

 

people with food allergies have to ask about everything, and it would make their life much easier to just have things up front.

[missmoe]

I would think it'd be more akin to making a big breakfast on Fast Sunday and then realizing what day it was. Assuming you couldn't save the food, which is worse?

 

This is how I see the situation. Sometimes we make mistakes. Heavenly Father knows when we are trying, but he does not expect us to be perfect.

 

Some have mentioned they wouldn't have been in a restaurant to begin with. I find that fasting is more likely to happen for me when I am mindful ahead of time and plan for it. When I fast (as a LDS) I think ahead about the purpose of my fast. If I'm doing this I am less likely to make the mistake of eating when I shouldn't.

 

All this to say, I would have finished the salad, but made it a goal to have more purposeful fasts in the future.

[asta]

People who make honor Lent are choosing to make a sacrifice.

 

 

I do normally have a stick up my butt about waste and whatever but I think in that situation, if I had chosen to forgo meat, then I would have stopped eating the salad. It isn't up to us to tell others how to worship.

 

Actually...

 

According to: the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, under the section on "Social Justice":

 

Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that "everyone should look upon his neighbor (without exception) as 'another self,' above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity."

 

Or, as it is commonly said: every Catholic is responsible for every other Catholic to help them remain on the path of their faith.

 

It's not so different of any other religion...

 

 

a

[Jeanne in MN]

Almost all bacon bits in salad-bar type restaurants are made out of soy and are artificially flavored. Look on a bottle of Bac-os, the bottle says they contain no meat or animal fat.

 

So, I voted that wasting the salad is worse.

 

LOL! My first thought was, I can't imagine there's an ounce of meat in those bacon bits! I would have continued eating it and I'm Catholic. ;)

[DawnM]

If I felt that strongly about it, I would waste it. I rarely feel that strongly about food though and haven't fasted in a very long time and the fasts were not particular foods but eating no food for a meal or a day.

 

Dawn

[Renee in NC]

In some areas the Church has them give up fish. Or both. And many Catholics give up cheese and milk as well.

 

I don't eat dairy anyway, but I wouldn't buy "expensive fish" for our meals - we simply don't eat meat.

[Melinda in VT]

Being a gracious host means not being offended when a guest won't eat what you serve for ethical or religious reasons. I would never force a vegetarian to eat meat etc even if they didn't let me know of their dietry restrictions beforehand. I would happily make them something else - who am I to force my personal opinion on others for the sake of being polite.

 

I am LDS - if someone served me coffee or alcohol or food made with these items then I would not eat it. I have made covenants with God that I would not eat these things and I think that supercedes being a polite guest.

 

I don't buy the arguement that "God would rather have you be a polite guest or not waste food then to follow your beliefs". In my case being LDS - God has told us not to drink coffee or alcohol - I don't think it is written anywhere that he said - unless you are served it by a friend then you can eat it so not to hurt their feelings ;) The bolded part is what we call a rationalisation - you can rationalise all you want but it doesn't make it right - it's just an excuse to do the wrong thing.

 

I was LDS for 30 years, and this is definitely the attitude I had then.

 

Honestly, it is one of the only things I regret about my time as a Mormon, putting some religious rules over people's feelings. And it also seems to directly contradict the example of Jesus in the New Testament.

 

Now the salad in the restaurant is not exactly the same thing. I can see handling it several ways. I would probably eat it and then abstain from meat on Saturday or make some other sacrifice on Friday. And I'd plan better for future Fridays.

[higginszoo]

I would try to pick off the bacon bits as best I could and then abstain from meat on Saturday to make up for what I accidentally consumed.

This. I didn't know that it had meat when I took it, but I would still eat it, and pick up another day of abstinence later (probably Sunday, since that's usually when the good stuff was planned, so it would be a good penance). It's not an absolute NEVER eat meat (like pork for a Jewish person or coffee or alcohol for an LDS person), which would be something different. This is how I was brought up ... you do your best to avoid meat on Fridays, and if you slip, you try again another day.

[angela in ohio]

I say eat the salad...

Not because I think Lent is legalistic.

Not because I think the restaurant would be offended.

Not because I think it is wrong to waste the food (it's an economic principle that you don't consider what is already consumed in your future decisions - and someone eatig part of a salad consumes it, imho.)

Not because I think Catholic observances are somehow "less than" others. :001_huh:

 

But because it is not a meat product (unless you are in some type of nicer restaurant that actually has real bacon.)

 

I would be suprised to have a Catholic order a salad on a Friday and not ask about meat items, though. At least there is usually the one "Lent police" person, :lol: and they would have asked for the group. And around here, no restaurant would be foolish enough to put meat in a salad on a Friday during Lent. (We moved our Scout Chili dinner up a week to avoid Lent, for example.)

 

I don't think being in a restaurant or not has anything to do with Lent. I can eat steak and Lobster at home, or I can eat soup at a restaurant. There is nothin inherently decadent about eating in a restaurant.

[Ellie]

In some areas the Church has them give up fish. Or both. And many Catholics give up cheese and milk as well.

But they are not obligated to abstain from cheese and milk, or from fish.

[Leav97]

I voted other. It's a decision that needs to be made by each individual.

[Murphy101]

But they are not obligated to abstain from cheese and milk, or from fish.

 

Actually, it depends on what kind of Catholic they are.

 

Orthodox for example:

 

On the Calendar will be found notations concerning Fasting days and seasons. Where there is no indication of a fast given, this means that all foods may be eaten (except during Cheesefare Week, when meat is forbidden for every day). where the notation Fast Day is found, this means that a strict fast is observed, in which no meat, eggs, dairy products, fish, wine or oil are to be eaten.

[sewingmama]

;)

For Catholics, abstaining from meat isn't a promise we make to God. It's a rule made by the Church, with the goal of helping to bring us closer to God.

 

We're allowed to break this rule if we're a guest at a meal, and insisting on keeping it would cause great offense to our host. As ktgrok said, it's meant to be more about the spirit than the letter.

 

In this case then I, (myself) would eat the salad if I was a guest at someone's house (but not if I was at a restuarant) .

 

In the LDS church we are encouraged to fast once a month - however this rule is not a "set in stone" KWIM. For example you don't have to fast if you are sick or pregnant or a small child - it's one you use your common sense on.

 

However there are certain things we are told not to do under ANY circumstances (caffeine, alcohol, sex before marriage) and those ones are not subject to "user discretion" :D so I would not do these just to spare other people's feelings.

 

I was LDS for 30 years, and this is definitely the attitude I had then.

 

Honestly, it is one of the only things I regret about my time as a Mormon, putting some religious rules over people's feelings. And it also seems to directly contradict the example of Jesus in the New Testament.

 

 

I think you have me pegged wrong ;) Being former LDS yourself you know there are differences between what we absolutely can't do and what is suggested we do but left up to your own discretion.

 

If I was a guest at someones house and it was fast sunday and they offered me food -sure I would eat it so as not to offend. If they offered me coffee cake then I would claim that I was fasting ;)

 

If I had an unexpected guest arrive on a Sunday that needed feeding and there was nothing suitable in the fridge I would go to the store and buy something even though this is discouraged usually.

 

But you also know there are covenants made in our religion and anything included in this is not to be broken - under any circumstance :001_smile:

 

I know there are some Mormon's that cause unecessary offence with their inflexible application of our beliefs - I am not one of those ;)

Edited October 7, 2011 by sewingmama

[AHASRADA]

I haven't read all the posts but, did anyone think to check with the kitchen as to whether or not the bacon bits were real or imitation? It is quite rare (except in fine dining establishments) to have "real" bacon bits on a salad bar.

 

I am not Catholic, but based on my knowledge that the Friday fast from meat is voluntary, and assuming there are no specific prohibitions on eating anything that has even touched meat, I would have done my best to eat as much salad as possible while removing the bacon bits.

 

Another option would have been to explain the situation to the server, and ask for take-out boxes for the salad, so everyone could eat it on Saturday!

[milovany]

Actually, it depends on what kind of Catholic they are.

 

Orthodox for example:

 

On the Calendar will be found notations concerning Fasting days and seasons. Where there is no indication of a fast given, this means that all foods may be eaten (except during Cheesefare Week, when meat is forbidden for every day). where the notation Fast Day is found, this means that a strict fast is observed, in which no meat, eggs, dairy products, fish, wine or oil are to be eaten.

 

Did you mean Eastern Rite Catholic? The Orthodox are not Catholic (as in, part of the RC Church). But the fast sounds similar to ours, so maybe you meant Eastern Rite? Just curious.

[Shellydon]

Depends on where I'm at and who was providing the food. I've had this happen a couple times where I felt it would have been extremely rude to not eat. At my sister's rehearsal pizza dinner her future in-laws ordered pizza - all with meat. They had absolutely no idea about Catholics and abstaining during Lent. I could have picked off the meat, but it could have offended them and I didn't want to risk that. Another time at work we were having a barbeque and they made a special effort to buy chicken for me thinking chicken was okay. (I don't live in a highly populated Catholic area). I went ahead and ate the chicken. Under other circumstances I might not have eaten the food but put it aside for another meal.

 

I have huge issues with waste of any kind and possibly offending people who are extending me a courtesy. I do not believe that is what God wants. Making a public scene, drawing attention to myself or wasting food is not in the spirit of Lent imo. In fact, intentionally wasting food (knowing that it'll be thrown out) is a sin for me. God has got to be bigger than the rules.

 

this is nicely put!

[justamouse]

Did you mean Eastern Rite Catholic? The Orthodox are not Catholic (as in, part of the RC Church). But the fast sounds similar to ours, so maybe you meant Eastern Rite? Just curious.

 

I don't think so, I think she means a more observational Catholic.

[ElizaG]

I don't think so, I think she means a more observational Catholic.

I'm pretty sure those guidelines Martha posted are for Eastern Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic. For one thing, we don't have Cheesefare Week in the liturgy of the Latin Church.

 

Eastern Catholics have their own code of Canon Law, which says that they're supposed to follow the fasting rules that are set by their own rites. At least in the cases I'm familiar with, the lay people are taught the traditional strict guidelines but aren't obligated to follow all of them completely. They have some leeway to decide what level of observance they feel up to doing.

 

(It's my understanding that this is also true of the Orthodox, but this is just based on conversations with a couple of lay people. Orthodox folks, please correct me if I'm wrong. :))

[Aquinas Academy]

I'm pretty sure those guidelines Martha posted are for Eastern Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic. For one thing, we don't have Cheesefare Week in the liturgy of the Latin Church.

 

Eastern Catholics have their own code of Canon Law, which says that they're supposed to follow the fasting rules that are set by their own rites. At least in the cases I'm familiar with, the lay people are taught the traditional strict guidelines but aren't obligated to follow all of them completely. They have some leeway to decide what level of observance they feel up to doing.

 

(It's my understanding that this is also true of the Orthodox, but this is just based on conversations with a couple of lay people. Orthodox folks, please correct me if I'm wrong. :))

:iagree:

I foud this page about Byzantine Catholic fasting.

[IsabelC]

I'm really surprised that a whole table full of people would be unaware that caesar salad usually contains bacon...

 

If it were me, I'd probably try and pick the bacon out, as I do get a bit upset about major food wastage.

[Crimson Wife]

I'm really surprised that a whole table full of people would be unaware that caesar salad usually contains bacon..

 

Caesar salad has anchovies but usually not bacon. I just checked 3 cookbooks (Joy of Cooking, Better Homes & Gardens, and Martha Stewart Living) and none of their Caesar salad recipes call for bacon.

 

I can't recall ever being served a Caesar salad with bacon bits. But if it were a Friday in Lent, I'd personally be grilling the waiter/waitress to double-check that whatever I ordered did not have meat in it. That's what surprises me most about this story- that nobody asked.

[Trish]

I think it might be different because fasting from meat during Lent is a choice, not a requirement.

 

And, I didn't ask or tell anyone anything. I was asking this board their opinion b/c I can see both sides of the situation.

 

It's a requirement on Fridays during Lent. It's a choice during the rest of the year.

 

I dunno, What Would Vegans Do? (WWVD)

[Trish]

Ah.

 

I just don't think that needlessly throwing out a plateful of food when there are so many people starving to death would help me feel closer to God. Quite the opposite, in fact.

 

How about the dish comes and you don't like the taste or how it is cooked? It's edible, but doesn't appeal to you. Do you force yourself to eat it beause it's "perfectly good" and people are starving to death elsewhere?

 

My own answer is, no I woudn't eat it, I'd focus on my side dishes, maybe would order something else as a substitute, or maybe would just be sure to get dessert and pick off my husband's plate.

 

I have definitely ordered things that I didn't like at all (trying somethng new etc, not that it was wrongly cooked), and then chosen not to eat it.

[Murphy101]

How about the dish comes and you don't like the taste or how it is cooked? It's edible, but doesn't appeal to you. Do you force yourself to eat it beause it's "perfectly good" and people are starving to death elsewhere?

 

My own answer is, no I woudn't eat it, I'd focus on my side dishes, maybe would order something else as a substitute, or maybe would just be sure to get dessert and pick off my husband's plate.

 

I have definitely ordered things that I didn't like at all (trying somethng new etc, not that it was wrongly cooked), and then chosen not to eat it.

 

Yes. This. It don't know anyone who would order a meal and eat it if:

It wasn't what they ordered (ordered pasta salad, got green salad)

It wasn't prepared the way they ordered (asked for easy and got over easy fried eggs)

Or was served badly cooked. (burned steak)

 

All of those situations are just as wasteful to not go ahead and eat.

 

So let's change this scenario an itty bit. Let's remove the entire Lent issue.:)

 

Let's say you didn't know there was bacon bits on the salad and you simply didn't want to eat bacon bits. Would you send it back or eat it anyways? I wouldn't eat it.

 

For Lent, I do not want to eat meat. I want to do my best to do as the RCC asks of me. So I'm not going to eat that salad.:confused:

[8circles]

Yes. This. It don't know anyone who would order a meal and eat it if:

It wasn't what they ordered (ordered pasta salad, got green salad) I would & have.

It wasn't prepared the way they ordered (asked for easy and got over easy fried eggs) I would and have.

Or was served badly cooked. (burned steak) This has never happened to me. But if something is burned then its usually inedible. Charcoal isn't food so I wouldn't be wasting it to not eat it.

 

All of those situations are just as wasteful to not go ahead and eat.

 

So let's change this scenario an itty bit. Let's remove the entire Lent issue.:)

 

Let's say you didn't know there was bacon bits on the salad and you simply didn't want to eat bacon bits. Would you send it back or eat it anyways? I wouldn't eat it. I would eat it.

For Lent, I do not want to eat meat. I want to do my best to do as the RCC asks of me. So I'm not going to eat that salad.:confused:

My answers in red.