Can you eat beef flavour crisps on Friday

[clau clau]

I just took a bag of beef flavoured crisps from my work locker for lunch. Then I remembered it was Friday, and it made we wonder.

Can one eat beef flavour crisps* on Friday?

I found a practical answer on the intelliwebs.

https://www.quora.com/During-lent-can-Catholics-eat-meat-flavored-foods-which-dont-contain-meat

What a great question! Because it gets to the heart of the matter on the difference between "the letter of the law" and "the spirit of the law".

From the perspective of the letter of the law, the answer would depend on the flavoring itself: does it really contain no meat? If not, then, hard to argue that one can't eat it. But doesn't this kind of reek of "trying to get away with something"? Trying to find a loophole...

Which brings us to the perspective of the spirit of the law. The answer here is a question. What sacrifice is it to abstain from meat when you're substituting something which tastes like meat? The spirit of the law presupposes a "giving up"; a subordination of our wants; a communion with the suffering Christ.

Likewise, what sacrifice is it to feast on lobster instead of a hot dog? Certainly one is following the letter of the law, but perhaps not the spirit.

The ultimate goal is to obey both the letter AND the spirit of the law. To make a personal sacrifice, as Christ did for us. To eat a non meat item which is "lesser than" our routine fare. Because the purpose is to grow in discipline and in empathy for those who suffer, and especially for the One who suffered and died that we might live.

* crisps (UK) = chips (US)

[drummerboy]

It's a good thing you clarified "crisps" because here in the States there is a brand of carnivore crisps which are "chips" made of meat!


I still cannot find an answer on if suet and lard are acceptable.  The closest I found was in the UK suet was acceptable but not lard, which is clear as mud.

[benedicite]

Why triffle? Even if there is a technicality that would permit it I think it goes against the spirit of the abstinence. 

[Melkor]

Myself I don't usually care; as long as it doesn't contain meat it's not meat. Some folks might say spirit of the law and all that (which I totally get, there's people out there holier than me :shocker:); but having beef flavoured ramen noodles ain't the same as a ribeye seared to perfection! My 0.02 

[Mirantus]

I'm more spirit of the law type on this one: but to be careful with whether it's real meat extract in the flavouring etc.

In any case, I think we should be able to go at least one day of the week without meat flavoured crisps?

Edit: sorry didn't see it was accidental - in this case you should be fine I think: just be more careful in future. I know now I get in the habit of being extra careful on days of abstinence.

[Michael Wilson]

I saw an article once about "food flavoring"; apparently the world wide center of artificial food flavoring is in Seacaucus, N.Y. As the article stated, what Paris is to Parfum, Seacaucus is to food flavoring. It went on to describe how different essences can mimic the smell of almost any food. The article ended with the reporter smelling this delicious aroma of bacon-with eggs, with his eyes closed, and when he opened his eyes, there was the lab guy standing there with a big smile on his face and a cotton cue tip from which the aroma was emanating.
So something that smells like bacon or steak is not meat, but a chemical compound.
On whether one should or should not eat fake "bacon-bits" on his baked potato on a Friday or not, is up to each one, but it certainly isn't against the rule of abstinence. 

[Joseph_3]

"Flavoring" is the work of the devil and you should avoid it. If God wanted your cardboard soy crisps to taste like beef then he would've made them taste like it. Natural or artificial flavoring is unhealthy and is a scientific monstrosity with documented negative health effects. The authorities tell us that this stuff is "generally safe for human consumption." Define "generally safe." Also, it is only "generally safe" according to some arbitrary dosage, which there is none listed, and this dosage does not take long term overdose into consideration.

Second, you can not cheat God. Abstain. That you came to ask should give you the answer to your question.

[Fursey]

My RCIA has not covered abstinence, but I have hit up Catholic Answers

Abstinence from certain foods is also a biblical discipline. In Daniel 10:2-3 we read, "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks." Catholics use a practice similar to Daniel's when, as a way of commemorating Christ's Crucifixion on a Friday, they abstain from eating meat on that day of the week during Lent. The only kind of flesh they eat on Friday is fish, which is a symbol of Christ.

Is there anything else that is missing here for lent?

[ChairmanJoeAintMyPrez]

Natural [...] flavoring is unhealthy and is a scientific monstrosity with documented negative health effects.

Might want to tone it down or choose more precise words for these rants.

Rubbing a clove of garlic on a grilled piece of meat is "natural flavoring".

[Joseph_3]

Natural [...] flavoring is unhealthy and is a scientific monstrosity with documented negative health effects.

Might want to tone it down or choose more precise words for these rants.

Rubbing a clove of garlic on a grilled piece of meat is "natural flavoring".

Yes, it is natural flavoring. It is not "natural flavors." It's the typical doublespeak of the rats who poison our food with their filth.

It's monosodium glutamate. There is nothing natural about it. No, I'm not going to sit here and have a study session with you about diet. If you so wish, you can yandex the words "natural flavor monosodium glutamate" or natural flavors msg."

If you would like to educate yourself on the health effects of monosodium glutamate, you're welcome to go down that rabbit hole yourself.

[ChairmanJoeAintMyPrez]

Natural [...] flavoring is unhealthy and is a scientific monstrosity with documented negative health effects.

Might want to tone it down or choose more precise words for these rants.

Rubbing a clove of garlic on a grilled piece of meat is "natural flavoring".

Yes, it is natural flavoring. It is not "natural flavors." It's the typical doublespeak of the rats who poison our food with their filth.

It's monosodium glutamate. There is nothing natural about it. No, I'm not going to sit here and have a study session with you about diet. If you so wish, you can yandex the words "natural flavor monosodium glutamate" or natural flavors msg."

If you would like to educate yourself on the health effects of monosodium glutamate, you're welcome to go down that rabbit hole yourself.

My diet consists almost entirely of whole foods, so I can't say I'm concerned.  Just pointing out that these rants fall on deaf ears when they paint with too broad a brush.

[Joseph_3]

My diet consists almost entirely of whole foods, so I can't say I'm concerned.  Just pointing out that these rants fall on deaf ears when they paint with too broad a brush.
[/quote]

My rants usually do. I'm a bit of a kook, maybe too curt, and do not care much for semantics. I notice that my previous comment came off a bit passive aggressive and I apologize for that if any offense was taken by it.

Diet is something I'm (overly) passionate about. There have been no ill effects to my abstinence. I'm 30 and in the best shape of my life, physically and mentally.

[ChairmanJoeAintMyPrez]

Diet is something I'm (overly) passionate about. There have been no ill effects to my abstinence. I'm 30 and in the best shape of my life, physically and mentally.

Respectfully:  At age 30, you could subsist on whiskey, tobacco, and donuts and not feel ill effects.

Report back when you have joints that hurt for no reason.   

[Joseph_3]

Respectfully:  At age 30, you could subsist on whiskey, tobacco, and donuts and not feel ill effects

Report back when you have joints that hurt for no reason. 
[/quote]

Reporting. lol.

[drummerboy]

I'm more spirit of the law type on this one: but to be careful with whether it's real meat extract in the flavouring etc.

In any case, I think we should be able to go at least one day of the week without meat flavoured crisps?

Edit: sorry didn't see it was accidental - in this case you should be fine I think: just be more careful in future. I know now I get in the habit of being extra careful on days of abstinence.

This reminds me of the scandal a few years back when it was leaked that the "natural flavoring" in V-8 juice was beef broth!  Vegetarians were rightly furious.  I believe they removed it. 
  Also keep in mind McDonalds still adds beef suet to their deep fryer oil for fries, so it's not strictly meatless for Friday's.  But I've read suet is acceptable to use for Friday abstinence requirements, its up the individual how stringent they wish to be.