FISHERMEN OF THE WORLD, THANK CATHOLICS

MOLA FISH, CARPET HOOKED
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It's Lent.  That means that Friday is mackerel snapping day for the next six weeks.  Lent is throw-back time for Catholics.  That means it is a season when the old corporate unity symbol of meatless [land animal meat] Friday was the general rule.  As time went by, meatless Friday also went bye, bye.  Except for Lent.  
It so happens that this is a good year for this to come along.  It shows just how important the Catholic community is to the economy.  As Belle and I were going to her office this morning, the restaurants were putting out their fish special for the day signs.  This being Ash Wednesday, it is the first meatless day of Lent.  Then follow six meatless Fridays.  Surely, the signs will really sprout tomorrow and Friday.  They do every year.  Fish tacos, shrimp cevice, Fish-head sweet and sour soup and a host of other specials will sprout up during the season.  This phenomenon is not limited to "Mom and Pop" establishments.  Drive around a little bit and you will discover Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, McDonalds an other restaurants of note and notoriety featuring fish specials on Friday.  It is an annual ritual.  Too bad we Catholics don't get much credit for boosting the economy during this springtime moment.  Most years we find ourselves playing second fiddle to March Madness, Spring Training and other sports and political inconsequentialities.  Now, how's that for a word?  This year we have to dip and dodge from the Republican Primary "Debates."  Please note the quotes.  There's a message there from me to you.  Anyway, there's one tonight.  Do you think that fish tacos will clash with pepperoni and cheese with a bow to the fish -- anchovies on the side?  Uh, huh!  I doubt it too.
Let me end with an old humorous Catholic thing about making a sacrifice and abstaining from meat on Friday.  I don't know about the rest of you, but when I was a boy, we would make the huge sacrifice of skipping the meat in favor of the steamed clams.  Oh, sad!  As I grew older and wiser, I realized just how much of a Lenten Sacrifice Fridays could be.  It was the pain inflicted on my wallet by the evening spent at the sushi bar.  Fortunately, I don't do that any more.  Not because I swore off sushi.  I swore off money.  But my bank didn't.  So I have to keep the bank happy so that I can stay out of the rain.  
Good bye for now.