40 Days, 40 Nights

I’m not talking about the movie "40 Days, 40 Nights" wherein Josh Hartnett’s character gave up sex and other physical intimacies for 40 days. Instead, I’m talking about the traditional type of “sacrificing” during the Lenten season.

The Bible has mentioned a lot of characters who underwent fasting usually up to 40 days and nights such as:

Moses

And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

Exodus 34:27-28

Elijah

And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

1 Kings 19:8

Jesus

Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry

Matthew 4:1-2

Today, Ash Wednesday, March 1, 2006, I embark in a different kind of fasting. I would give up eating meat and drinking soft drinks. So far, so good. I hadn’t eaten meat all day. My fasting would end exactly 40 days from now on Palm Sunday, April 9, 2006.

Just to make it clear, the “meat” I’m referring to includes only beef and pork. I’m free to eat chicken, fish, and the others.

Good thing Tanjay Fiesta doesn't fall within the Lent season

That means skipping the “lechons” during the series of balls and graduation parties later this month, not to mention my neice’s third birthday party next week. It could also mean not eating meat when I (hopefully) go to Boracay at the end of March. That would be fine though, considering all the good sea foods available there.

As to soft drinks, that would include all Coca-Cola (Coke, Sprite, Royal, Lift) and Pepsi-Cola (Pepsi, 7-up, Mirinda, Mountain Dew) products as well as those from lesser-known names. I have tried lasting 4 months without soft drinks so I’m confident I’ll be able to make it for 40 days.

I’m hoping also that this would perhaps help in my goal of losing weight, not exactly to trim down (and look better physically), but more importantly for health reasons.

This may not seem like a big sacrifice. But personally, it’s not that easy coz I’m a big meat-lover. Wish me all the luck!

These are some of the updates on my fasting:

Day 1

It was Ash Wednesday so meat was never served at home. I ate shrimps and fish for lunch. That afternoon, a colleague brought some layers of pizza and I had no choice but to eat the vegetarian kind. A tougher task was later that night at the 1st birthday party of my kinugus Alexa Ruperto-Arnaiz at the governor's residence. I had to skip two lechons and all the other great dishes prepared by Lindai's Catering.

Day 2

It was the despedida of my first cousin, Baging Ruperto-Godiñez, who would be returning to the US that afternoon. The party was held at Piapi and again I forced myself not to get any lechon. I ate fish and squid and just drank water.

Day 5

Good thing there were lots of seafood dishes for lunch at home. I ate fish, shrimps, squid, and a special type of Dangguit. Yummy!

Day 7

It was the 3rd birthday party of my neice Ashley Simone Ruperto-Teves or Sim for short that afternoon and again I had to skip the lechon. I had to eat chicken, spaghetti without the meatballs, and lots of dessert!

Day8

Reggae Wednesday at Hayahay with cousins and friends. I haven't gone out in a while and I crave for pepperoni pizza. But no can't do. I just ordered Lumpiang Bangus and Calamares.

Day10

Again in Hayahay, and later at El Camino. Didn't eat any food though... just a couple of beers.

Day11

Cause Party overnight "victory" party at Kho's (coincidence?) beach house in Bacong, Negros Oriental. There were two lechons and lots of yummy dishes. I ended up eating tuna spaghetti (i dunno the exact term), chicken ala king, kinilaw, and lots of brownies, choco trillion and other sweets.

Day12

It was the birthday of my friend and former IT classmate Tatchie Gabay at Forest Camp. Again I skipped the lechon and just ate chicken and the yummy cookie monster cake!

Day15

I had an exam in Constitutional Law II the next day and I hadn't studied nor read the 400+ pages assigned yet. I needed food to keep me up all night. I went to Ricky's and bought tuna, bread, lots of chocolates, Chips Ahoy, and ham spread. Yup, ham spread, I forgot it contained meat! Good thing I realized that just before I opened the bottle. Anyway, I was glad mom made Chicken Salad just for my personal consumption.

Day17

The CITCS Seniors Night was held again at Honeycomb and as I was getting my food, I never realized that what I got was actually pork. It looked a lot like fish. When I took a slice, however, I knew it was pork and I disappointedly had to give it to a companion.

Day 18

The food during dinner at home were all pork or beef, so I had to eat at Bethel. I ate Diced Fish in Sweet & Sour and consumed a good-for-two serving.

Day 22

Graduation party of my nephew, and again no lechon for me. The two kinds of chicken were good, and so was the fish. I also ate lots of dessert.

Day 26

There were 3 lechons during the annual CITCS graduates' lunch and all I ate was fish fillet. That night, my cousin, Dino Bautista who just got his Nursing degree at SU earlier, celebrated at his house and again I skipped the lechons. The same happened at the joint party of a high school classmate of mine, Christy Camacho, who finished her Management course, and the sister of my friend Gino Dionaldo, who graduated from high school.

Day 30

I failed. I folded. I caved in to the pressure. We were at Boracay and the menu for the free breakfast buffet had no seafoods - all meat. Darn it! It was free and I did not want to spend some more just to buy some other kind of food. Basically, it was a question of practicality. So I had to eat what was on the table and quit my 40-day fasting.

CONCLUSION:

It was good while it lasted. My fasting was cut short by 10 days, and yet 1 month wasn't that easy, ya know. So, I'm still proud of lasting that long without meat, softdrinks, and chips. Next year, probably chocolates!