Traditional Ash Wednesday Supper In Our Family Was

[Henry]

Don't know where the superstition came from, but it was always a tradition in our family (Since Ash Wednesday has always been a day we were not supposed to eat meat), that we would have pancakes and maple syrup.  Why???  Well, so the saying goes, it would prevent the 7-year itch.  Don't know what the 7-year itch is, but I never caught it.

One of the things we never had very much back when I was a kid was fish.  You didn't go down to the local store and see fish in the meat cooler.  Mother used to be able to make a can of salmon go quite a ways by mixing it in a big bowl of milk gravy which we put on boiled potatoes.  That was actually about the extent of the fish we ate as our other meatless meals were included eggs or a baked macaroni casserole made with tomato soup and Velveeta cheese.

We did call Meals On Wheels and let them know that we needed meatless meals on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent.  They called back and said they would make that change. 

We started getting Meals On Wheels a couple weeks ago.  They are prepared by The Fletcher General Store and have been excellent.  Again, thanks to our wonderful volunteers who deliver them.

[Rev. Elizabeth]

In some traditions, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is called Shrove Tuesday.  Pancakes using eggs, milk, sugar, and cooked in fat were served because those foods were restricted or forbidden during Lent.  The little Methodist Church in Montgomery put on a wonderful Shrove Tuesday pancake supper!

Shrove comes from the old english word shrive meaning to be given absolution.

[Margie]

Mother always fixed a pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday when we were kids.  It was, according to her, a very English tradition.  I didn't care why--I just loved having pancakes for supper!

[Mike Raburn]

Oh no!

My Lent dinner was Mongolian Beef, Szechuan Chicken, and fried rice.
Am I going to Chinese hell, aka, North Korea???