Whilst there’s not a religious bone in my body, I have been unwittingly espousing the wonders of Fish Fridays! Unbeknownst to me the religious significance of eating fish on Fridays runs deep. Eating fish on this day is a commemorative nod to the sacrifice of Jesus who gave his life (on a Friday) to redeem a sinful world. Those devout enough to observe this abstain from eating the flesh of warmblooded animals, instead opting for fish which is of course coldblooded and thus, fair game.
Scrape even deeper and you will find this story crosses centuries and continents embroiling the likes of King Henry VIII and his lust for Anne Boleyn, the Vikings and their harrowing ocean passages and in more recent history a MacDonald’s franchisee and his invention of the Filet-O-Fish in the 1960’s!
My penchant for the consumption of fish on Fridays is far less worldly and adventurous and is instead rooted in a desire to increase the intake of fish in our diet! What’s more I also love a good tradition so as a new family (our son is now 15 months old) this is one of the little things we look forward to together which we can talk about and celebrate. Choosing the fish and how we cook it and sitting down together to reflect on the week that has been is one of life’s simple pleasures.
Happy Fish Friday!