local lent

I thought this was a perfect introduction to something I'd been planning for a while to write about today. In the Orthodox church calendar, today is the first day of Lent. (Catholics and Protestants, of course, don't start Lent until Ash Wednesday, but since I've been going to an Orthodox church, I thought it was worth starting my series of articles on the season today.) In my old southern Baptist church, Lent wasn't something I grew up with; I don't remember really even hearing of it until after I was adult. The first time I remember celebrating Lent was when I was working as the middle school youth director at a Presbyterian Church. Not being entirely sure what Lent was, I was rather disconcerted on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday when several of the girls in my youth group asked me what I was giving up for Lent. Giving up?!? I thought wildly. For Lent? I racked my brains. What exactly was Lent? I thought it had something to do with Catholics and Mardi Gras. "Um..." I stalled for time. "I don't know yet," I said finally. "What are you giving up?"

"Coke," the girl said promptly. "Chocolate," said another. I stared at both of them. No Coke? No chocolate?!? Were they insane? Exactly how long did Lent last, anyway?

I've progressed at least a little in my understanding of Lent since that rather simplistic introduction. But my general idea of what it's about, and what it means, has changed very little: I have always thought of Lent as a time for giving something up. As a Presbyterian, of course, I was generally allowed to choose something I wanted to give up, and I usually picked something that wasn't too much of a sacrifice: one year, for instance, I gave up listening to the radio in the car, and liked it so much that I've since made a habit of it. But I've never given up anything that I was particularly fond of, and chocolate, of course, has always been immune from consideration.

But this year I've been going to an Orthodox church, and there I've discovered an entirely different perspective on Lent. In my first discussion with someone at church on the subject of fasting, I was startled by his adamant insistence that fasting has nothing to do with giving something up. "It's not about sacrificing or being unhappy," he said; "it's about eating in a way that's appropriate for the season." Lent is a season of repentence, of mourning, and of preparation for the Easter celebration. As an outward sign of inward repentence, it's appropriate that Lent be marked by less food, by greater seriousness, and by fewer frivolous pursuits.

But the traditional concept of Lent, though it touches on everything from the way you work to the way you use your free time, still centers around the question of food. Orthodox Christians regularly undergo strict dietary changes during Lent: they eat no meat or meat products; they eat no dairy; they eat no wine or oil. In effect, they become vegans--and teetolars to boot.

It's done, of course, for spiritual reasons. But I still find it fascinating that this ancient form of Christianity calls for long periods of time on a diet that many environmentalists are now recognizing as one of the simplest and most effective ways to combat climate change and energy waste. Studies have demonstrated many positive environmental impacts of switching to a vegan diet.

And there's another connection between the traditional observance of Lent and a diet that's better for the environment: the concept of seasons. If Lent is about eating what's appropriate for the season, then perhaps there are few better ways to practice that fully than by eating local, seasonal food. There are a litany of reasons why local food is better for the environment: it uses less oil for transporting food over long distances; fewer chemical preservatives are needed to extend the shelf life; and farms that sell locally are frequently smaller farms that use more sustainable practices than the agribusiness farms that sell to grocery stores.

And so, I've decided to being my own celebration of Lent by attempting to eat in a way that is fully appropriate for this season. I'll try to follow the vegan diet that is the traditional observance of Orthodoxy (I say try, because, after all, I never have given up chocolate for Lent before!). But I will also spend the first week of Lent on a more strict diet: all my meals will consist of only local food.

Not being entirely sure just how difficult this might be, I'm only committing to a week right now. The first week of Lent, after all, is traditionally the most strict, and I might find that cooking locally is just too difficult to keep up for fifty-seven days. But then again--who knows? Maybe this will be the beginning of a whole new way of life.