Those divinely domiciled in the delightful Diocese of bustling Bismarck should by now be amicably acquainted with the Ember Days. For those not so fortunately favored, His Excellency, Most Reverend David Kagan gives a succinctly sanguine summary which may be accessed here: http://bismarckdiocese.com/dakota-catholic-action/bishopsbriefs/EmberDays/ (There is a minor mistake about the number of Rogation Days but that is the subject of another e-pistle come Paschaltide). In addition to being devoted days of fasting, Quarter Tense are also designated days of abstinence. So while I don't know how many Japanese restaurants there are in the capital of North Dakota let us go to the diminutive Diocese of bucolic Brooklyn if for no other reason that there are several dozen eateries to choose from while continuing this ecclesiolgical exposition. Lovingly led by the resilient and redoubtable Francis Xavier, the brave Black Robes of the Company of Jesus arrived with the enterprising Explorers of the Sixteenth Century to a very feudal Japan. The one definitively defining trait that has surely simultaneously singlehandly both gotten out of and into a whole holy heap of trouble Jesuits of every generation is that of inculturation. Gastronomic gratitude is great because this example worked out well. On the days of Las Temporas the good Fathers ate no meat, only seafood, therefore the Japanese Christians developed the tasty treat known as tempura.
And so that's the answer to the question: "What are we having for lunch today?"
Mr. Screwtape
Mr. Screwtape
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