Most Louisiana natives (especially people from South Louisiana) love seafood. Might be better to say they adore it, come to think of it. A pretty big amount of those same folks are also Catholic and during Lent, don't eat meat on Fridays.

The idea is that avoiding meat during Lent is a sacrifice because meat is tasty and a regular part of most people's diets. Catholics believe in 'offering up' our sacrifices as a kind of prayer - in - action, and usually do this to help ourselves, other people, or both, or to please God.

Here's what I've wondered for a while now: is it really a sacrifice for a seafood - loving Catholic in South Louisiana to eat seafood instead of meat on Fridays in Lent? I'm from Abbeville, but I hate shellfish and only occasionally eat fish. I know, that's weird, but we all have something that makes us weird.

For me, it's a big sacrifice to avoid meat on Fridays in Lent. For one thing, I love just about every meat there is. I love a great steak or cheeseburger like a pig loves corn. Secondly, I don't like seafood, so I'm stuck either just eating it anyway or going with some other kind of meatless dish.

Here's the thing, though: should we be eating something we really like if we're sacrificing? If you love crawfish, for example, how much of a sacrifice is attacking a few pounds of boiled crawfish on Good Friday? If you love seafood, where's the sacrifice in fried shrimp or catfish or raw oysters or any other delight in our region?

What if you love seafood more than meat? I know such people exist because I've met a few of them. Would it be more of a sacrifice for them to eat a ham sandwich or cheeseburger instead of a seafood platter on Good Friday?

If you love cheese and bread like I do, where's the sacrifice in eating a cheese pizza on a Friday in Lent? Or a salad with tasty things in it, like nuts and croutons and cheese?

Okay, I guess the real sacrifice would be to just eat a few ice cubes on a bed of lettuce. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?

Do you think it's a sacrifice to eat seafood on Fridays in Lent in South Louisiana? Let us know on Facebook!

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