Fish Tales

In my hometown of Pittsburgh, advertisements for fish sandwiches signify that the season of Lent is taking place. Probably because of the city`s large Catholic population, almost every food place in the city sells huge slabs of fried fish and mayonnaise between rolls of white bread, despite the fact that Pittsburgh is nowhere near the ocean. This harkens back to a time when Catholics could not eat meat on Fridays. Now that the ban only takes place during Lent, the fish sandwiches are promoted and on sale at dive bars, restaurants and fast-food joints during the days leading up to Easter.

In Mexico City, Lent has been much more in-your-face, beginning with Ash Wednesday when my house was turned into a drive-up for people who wanted ashes stamped on their foreheads. In the United States, Catholics typically go to Mass on Ash Wednesday and ashes are crossed onto their foreheads in order to signify repentance. In Mexico, there are various points at places such as chapels and churches where the devout can go to have ashes put on their foreheasd. The night before Lent at the parish, we sat around carving crosses onto the ends of wine-corks. The corks were used to make markings on people`s foreheads, as the women here like to have neat crosses on their faces instead of smudges. The next day, various people came to quickly get ashes from the chapel in front of our house, including those who would run off buses and cars at lights and the elderly and in-firmed who didn`t get out of their cars and instead had ashes delivered to them.

The church was mobbed with people who wanted to get ashes and vendors took advantage of this by selling toys, snacks and sweet treats outside of the parish gates. Apparently, Mexicans only fast for half the day on Ash Wednesday but since I did the traditional Roman Catholic fast, I was a little irritated by the temptation of food right outside the church.

Since the beginning of the year, one of the church`s youth groups has been practicing for the Passion Play, so I have grown accustomed to men carrying around heavy crosses and being whipped with plastic brushes on the parish lawn. I was surprised the other day when the director came riding into church on a burro--the donkey is going to be used for the play and a Palm Sunday sermon.

On Friday, Jessica and I stopped in the Cathedral in the Zocalo and on our way out we ran smack into six men dressed in shiny, blue fish costumes. They made their way into some sort of fish show taking place in a tent nearby, which I assume was happening in order to remind people not to eat meat fish on Fridays.

As for my own Lenten goals of abstinence, I am feeling pretty healthy without alcohol despite occasional cravings for a beer. My biggest test came last night when Jessica and I attended a small party at Javier`s house which lasted until four in the morning, so I did a lot of sitting around and watching everyone else consume tequila. However, I was able to observe the culture of the country--Javier brought out his guitar and he and his male family members challenged each other to sing song lines and responses on the spot. The lines were rhyming insults regarding each other and their ex-girlfriends and drew a lot of laughs--I couldn't`t understand what exactly was begin said, but got the gyst of it. Of course there was salsa dancing--unfortunately, a lack of alcohol did not improve my ability to dance or help me forget that I lack rhythm, and I`m afraid that when it comes to salsa I`ll forever be limited to twirling and tossing my hair.

Regarding my other goal to be careful about what I consume and buy, my circumstances are helping me with that. Leaving Santa Fe is somewhat arduous as riding the bus is time-consuming and uncomfortable and I don`t really have an income to buy things. So despite the fact that there are things I`d like to buy, it`s easier not to, and anything I do end up purchasing helps the small merchants of Santa Fe.

One thing I have realized since coming here is that the United States lacks a shared culture and history. In Mexico, I have had the chance to spend time with people of various economic statuses with wildly differing levels of education. However, everyone seems to know the same dances, cheers and songs. While I love that various ethnic groups in the States have their own customs, there is not as much that unites everyone.

It`s interesting being a Catholic here as it makes me like I share something with most everyone as we grew up attending the same services and celebrating holidays in similar. In the United States, I had few Catholic friends and religious activities were not big part of my life so I wonder what the adjustment will be like when I get back. For now I`m just trying to avoid being in the cross path of whips and animals, and I`ll worry about finding a good fish sandwich when I return.

40 Days

Since the beginning of Lent is upon us, I`ll begin with a confession--before coming to Mexico I went to lots of happy hours and good-bye celebrations where I did plenty of imbibing. I did so with the reasoning that it would be my last chance for such activities before embarking on a spiritual conversion. It thought it would be impossible for me to spend my time drinking and partying here when my days would be occupied with good works and (in my spare time) church and prayer.

It turns out that I have spent a lot of time on parish grounds when I am not at work, though in the kitchen socializing rather than at church. What I have found is not something that has surprised me since it`s the way of life in Pittsburgh and what I witnessed when I started drinking at dive bars as an exchange student in Australia --when working-class, middle-aged men spend time together, they do so with drinks in hand. No matter if they are clergy members or parish groundsmen. Thus there`s sort of a boys` club atmosphere here at the parish--tequila or beer are served at most meals and it`s not frowned upon to have a glass of cerveza with your huevos in the morning.


I often feel at of place at the parish since I have trouble communicating and I don`t eat the food with meat or dairy products that everyone else shares. While everyone else is chatting and eating, I`ve made up for my lack of participation by bonding over tequila with the guys. I`ve also justified drinking because it helps me cope with the sadness I feel over certain situations at work or and to cope with boredom when I am at social events and I don`t know what is going on.
A few weeks ago, I reevaluated why I came here, and I realized that it wasn`t to spend my evenings in a haze and I have drastically cut back on my consumption of alcohol. I feel healther in both body and spirit -- alcohol is a depressant and ultimately isn`t helping me overcome unhappiness. Additionally, I was relying on it instead of myself and God to feel comfortably socially.

Instead of drinking I have been spending more time at work and praying in the evenings with Jessica. I do have trouble saying no to drinks at times. It`s hard for others to accept this change in me and I`ve had glasses pushed up to my lips or served to me after I repeatedly turn them down.

In trying to cut back, I have to be less concerned with the feelings of others. I tell myself that I don`t always have to be a drinking buddy and that if I find a social situation painfully uncomfortable without the aid of alcohol, I can leave it at risk of offending someone. As for it helping me to forget about the sorrows of others, nobody`s problems are going to be solved based on how much I drink.

With all this in mind I`m giving up alcohol for Lent. Interestingly, Ash Wednesday coincides with the six-month mark of our arrival in Mexico, which is a time to reflect on why I came here originally and how I can make the experience better. I`m hoping that this period of abstinence will help me to better to do better service as a missonary and build my relationship with God.


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My other confession--I`ve never understood hard-core environmentalists and animal-rights activists in that I thought that if one is going to make a lot of effort for change, it should be for something that benefits people. Rather than protesting environmental policies, it would be better to lobby for human rights and instead of picking up litter, one should visit patients in hospitals.

However, what I`m coming to understand is that everything is connected in the way we treat the Earth, animals, fellow human beings and ourselves. A lot of practices that also hurt the environment are also harmful to humanity. For example, in the United States my closet is full of clothes that I don`t really need. Not only are they a waste of money, but I paid no attention to the workplace conditions of the people who made them, and a lot of energy was spent in their creation and distribution. If I were to only buy used clothing, or buy (less of it) only from ethical companies, I would be taking a stance against unfair labor practices and I would be helping to conserve resources.

Other thoughts:

There is a crisis in obesity going on throughout the United States and in the world. It is partially due to the amount of cheap, nutritionally-void fattening convenience foods that are consumed. If people were to eat more produce instead of junk food, particularly from farmers` markets, they would not only be doing their bodies a favor but cut back on the amount of packaging and transport that goes into making processed foods. (Along those lines, I strive to follow a vegan lifestyle, not just for animal-rights and health reasons but because it takes lot of food is produced to feed the animals that produce meat and dairy.)

In terms of media that is consumed, magazines, television, video games often pull people apart from the families and fill their heads with violent, damaging images--created in order to sell products like corn chips, lipstick and beer. If people were to consider more closely what they read, watch, and play, they might feel healthier and be more inclined to give their attention to people. Additionally, their desire for material items would decrease, which would ultimately help the environment.

And speaking of lipstick, women (and men) spend an enormous amount of money buying such products to cover up and change the way they look. These products are often tested on animals and take a lot of effort to produce. By cutting back on beauty products, women would be more accepting of themselves, help the environment and prevent animal cruelty.

With all this in mind, my other intention for Lent is far less concrete than giving up alcohol, but still involves consumption. I am going to give up overly processed foods so that I can help both my health and the Earth. I also plan to consider everything I take in, buy and consume as to whether it`s really good for me and the Earth and who benefits from it.

Part of me would like to run around in hand-made clothing, free of make-up and distributing trail mix. A bigger part of me can`t give up piling on eyeliner or resisting Starbucks. However, even some changes in my lifestyle will have a ripple effect and I hope to continue being more conscious even after Lent is over.

Now if you`ll excuse me, I`m off to gather wildflowers to weave into my hair.