Everyday Systems

I got curious about Greek Orthodox "fasting," which I think another member here toyed with at a time I couldn't even think about it, in some reading about the Mediterranean diet, the supposed "real" one, not the more widespread contemporary one.

This will make Vanilla look like a piece of cake- on Sdays, at least. And paleo lovers will have nightmares.

http://www.abbamoses.com/fasting.html

Blue Zone material hardly mentions this. I wonder if the Ikarians are very religious?

I have a feeling some people ended up getting catapulted into compulsive eating on non-fast days.

No S doesn't ask for much! Stick with it!

Oh, wow, I don't think I could keep all of that straight, let alone actually practice it! Definitely not enough willpower for that.

Oh, wow, I don't think I could keep all of that straight, let alone actually practice it! Definitely not enough willpower for that.

If everyone else was doing it, you wouldn't have to keep it straight. And everyone would be watching!

It sounds like people basically went vegan for a fair amount of the year.

It occurred to me today that the people who sell the eliminated foods must have really taken a hit during fasting times.

It's not just the Greeks who follow the fast--any of the Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions do. We have special calendars in our kitchens to keep them straight. The calendars also include the saints being commemorated that day, along with the day's scripture readings.

It's really not so bad, once you get in to the swing of it. In monasteries, the fasting is usually quite strict--one meal per day on a fast day. In homes, however, most people I know have 2-3 vegan meals during a fast day. During Great Lent, people try to tighten up their own discipline, and eat less in general, and fewer meals in particular. But, the point of it isn't weight loss, or longevity. Also, we know that we'll fail (or, at least I know that I'll fail). The failures give us a healthy reminder of our frailties, and the opportunity to begin again.

We really try our best to "keep our eyes on our own plates." To judge someone for breaking the fast, or judge how someone keeps the fast, makes your own fast, no matter how "correct" pointless, at best.

In non-Orthodox majority countries/cultures, we will often break a fast for a holiday celebrated with our extended families. Western Easter almost always falls during Great Lent, and Thanksgiving is always during the Nativity Fast, which means that when I celebrate with my parents and in-laws, I'm going to enjoy the ham, turkey, and cheesy potatoes all that much more, as the fast begins again the next day.

Interesting... thanks!

Reminder both that there's abundant precedent for breaks between eating, and that the breaks No-S requires are nothing compared to these.

Reinhard