Feast of the 7 Fishes

The sun came out today, and Im tickled pink. The rain is due back tomorrow XMas day, but I'm going to live for today, sha la la la la..

Tonight is XMas eve, and that means the Feast of the Seven Fishes. This is an Roman Catholic tradition that goes back centuries. It's a tradition of fasting before a big holiday, and then feasting. Growing up we didn't eat meat on Fridays. It was always fish Friday, and pb&j for lunch instead of bologna or ham.

Every year our friend and neighbor Deborah Roberto puts on a Feast of the 7 Fishes, and we have not missed this event since Deborah moved to the neighborhood.

Deborah is a doctor of psychology, a single mother of two good men, Avery and Saravrio, and an accomplished chef in her own right. This is Oakland at it's finest, and one of the most culturally diverse events of the year.

Everyone came over to mother Mary and Rocco's for XMas eve. It was a big deal, and this feast that Deborah so graciously puts together each and every year reminds me of that time when I was young, when XMas was more than what presents you would get, a time to be with friends and family, good cheer, hope for the future, and most of all, great food.

I'm saving myself for this evening. I'm not fasting today, but I'm being very careful what I eat in preparation for tonight. I will be doing a bunch of big walks today.

Last year Saveur magazine did their holiday issue on this very event, and I love Saveur as I have written numerous times, but it can't come close to Deborah's spread.

My mise en place is all together. The chicken sausage/ground turkey ziti is prepared, croutons baked, and the fish is on ice. All I have to do is get the greens ready for the salad, make the dressing, and I'm ready to rock XMas dinner.

Have yourself a Merry little XMas . The baby Jesus is my favorite Jesus.


Peace,

Make Food/Not War

Food Consumption Today 12-24-12

Breakfast: 1 banana, cereal and soy milk

Lunch: nothing...snacks, a couple of pieces of chicken, nuts and my energy drink

Dinner: I'll let you know how I did tomorrow with photos hopefully.

Exercise: 3.5 miles