Fasting - Is eating shellfish, crab, and shark allowed?

[Maria]

The animals listed below do not have a backbone or vertebra:

Snails, muscles, and abalone have a thick exoskeleton on the outside of their bodies.

Shrimp, crab, crayfish, and lobsters are also known as water insects. These arthropods swim in water instead of flying in the air.

Sharks and lampreys are not considered to be true fish as they lack a backbone. Their spine is made of cartilage instead of bone.

Note that these lowly animals used to be considered the poor man's food. Because most of these animal dishes are usually smothered with butter, and are now very expensive, some priests and bishops are suggesting or even mandating that people not eat these foods during Great Lent or during times of fasting.

[Barbara]

You mean mussels, Maria. Not muscles ! I chuckled when I saw that.

I don't know myself the answer.

From the standpoint of health, shellfish and crab are filter feeders, hence very filthy inside. Not recommended for health-conscious people, like most of us here !

Shark is routinely warned about with signs at the store freezers which include shark filets. I believe the reason is that shark and a few other types of seafood are high in mercury.

As an aside, I never had any interest in lobster, which may be one of those dishes which became too costly for the average person. I don't know why it is regarded as such a delicacy. Not appealing to me, nor crab nor shrimp.

Nor mussels !

[Maria]

You mean mussels, Maria. Not muscles ! I chuckled when I saw that.

I don't know myself the answer.

From the standpoint of health, shellfish and crab are filter feeders, hence very filthy inside. Not recommended for health-conscious people, like most of us here !

Shark is routinely warned about with signs at the store freezers which include shark filets. I believe the reason is that shark and a few other types of seafood are high in mercury.

As an aside, I never had any interest in lobster, which may be one of those dishes which became too costly for the average person. I don't know why it is regarded as such a delicacy. Not appealing to me, nor crab nor shrimp.

Nor mussels !

Yes, I was thinking about meat, aka muscle tissue, which we eat.

The lowly mussels are eaten because of their delicious muscular foot.

English is a very challenging language due to the many spellings that come from different language groups.

Thank you for correcting my misspelling of the lowly shellfish called mussels.

This reminds me of the song about the Irish maid Molly Malone who went through the streets of Dublin crying, "Cockles and Mussels, alive, alive oh."

[Jean-Serge]

I think it is not necessarily a question of cheap food or not. For instance, Balsmaon and Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite wrote crab, shellfish were forbidden. A reason might be that they are killed animals and that fasting in going back to the paradisiac state when no killed animals were eaten. As fr shark, it is a fish...

[Maria]

I think it is not necessarily a question of cheap food or not. For instance, Balsmaon and Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite wrote crab, shellfish were forbidden. A reason might be that they are killed animals and that fasting in going back to the paradisiac state when no killed animals were eaten. As fr shark, it is a fish...

You are correct, Jean Serge. I talked with my priest who gave me the following advice mentioning Saint Nicodemos.

The strict fast is observed by not eating anything by mouth, so that not even bread and water are consumed.
We are encouraged to do this on Clean Monday and then again from Good Friday until Pascha.

Abstinence is the avoidance of certain foods, not as punishment, but to discipline and humble the body.

During Great Lent, if we are physically able, we should be abstaining from all meats, eggs, milk, milk products, and flesh from lowly non-vertebrate animals including shark, clams, snails, shrimp, crabs, and insects such as chocolate covered ants. The only thing we should be eating are raw vegetables and water. The fast is relaxed on Saturdays and Sundays.

However, most people today cannot observe a strict fast and work at the same time. Therefore, under the direction of our spiritual father, most of us follow a modified fast and abstinence.

[Jean-Serge]

The strict fast (not drinking, not eating) is the one of the first week of lent excepted two meals on Wednesday and Friday night after the presanctified, and on holy Friday. I hope 24 hours without eating and drinking is still manageable for everyone. Add to this the fact that a classic fasting day without oil also means one meal per day after ninth hour to be complete.

However, most people today cannot observe a strict fast and work at the same time. Therefore, under the direction of our spiritual father, most of us follow a modified fast and abstinence.

From homely 9 on the first Epistle of the Corinthians of Saint John Chrysostom :

Suppose you are unable to fast or to practice virginity; although you are able if you will, and they who have been able are a condemnation to us. But, however, God has not used this strictness towards us; neither has He enjoined these things nor laid them down as laws, but left the choice to be at the discretion of the hearers.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/220109.htm

The Saturday before the beginning of the Great Lent is dedicated to the holy ascetics. The synaxary says that they are given as example because they share the same nature as us but succedeed, so they are given as examples and models. To be honest, I am quite worried by this demoralizing and defeating speech about not being able to fast and work at the same time. Would not it be more honest to say not willing or not having enough faith ? If some centuries ago, some common people were able to do so, why is it that such people are less whereas life is easier physically speaking ?

[Photinia]

Just ask your spiritual father and follow his advice.