I knew nothing about the Tops Markets chain of food stores until I saw a TV ad just before my evening rendevous with the quiz show, Jeopardy. With a little sleuthing I found the online version of the offer which caught my attention:
BIG FISH. SMALL PRICE.
Fish fry season is officially here! Take full advantage of our special Lent offer. When you buy 6 fish fry dinners (excluding Captain's Seafood Platters) from February 27th thru April 16th, you'll get the 7th FREE!
I have bolded the word Lent because I have never seen a promotion for any product at any time which was tied to the Christian season of Lent, roughly six weeks of preparation for Holy Week and Easter.
You may be aware of the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from eating meat on the Fridays of Lent. The expectation is that any RC over the age of 14 will abstain from eating meat during these fast days. It is not acceptable to eat lamb, chicken, beef, pork, ham, deer and most other meats -- I suppose moose would be on the Canadian no-fly list. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are included as days to lay off meat as well.
Rocky Harbour, NL: Stan Collins photo
Lent was not a part of my Protestant upbringing and ended up on my radar during my seminary days. When I began ministry in outport Newfoundland I discovered that Lent was considered Catlick -- as were candle-lit Christmas Eve services! -- and Holy Week was a time for revival services rather than solemn reflection before the joy of Easter. I'm sure many other older United Church members have been tolerant but bemused by this liturgical shift. I came to feel that it is deeply meaningful, although often emotionally demanding in the waning days of Winter.
Interestingly, eating fish and chips is a big deal in many parts of Newfoundland on Good Friday, with people lining up for their meals regardless of their religious affiliation or lack of one. In some fishing communities free fish is still on offer.
Back to Tops Markets. I am so curious as to how Lent became a commerical opportunity and how far back this goes in the history of the chain. They appear to be counting on a vestige of large Catholic families with the "buy six, get one free" promotion.
I may never know, but it has stirred a holy hankering for some halibut or haddock!
2 comments:
Well, aren't you lucky that you live in Belleville, where the Boathouse is !
They make good fish and chips but our all-time favourites are Ches's in St. John's, Herbert's in Killarney, and Just for the Halibut in Bancroft. There were a couple of good spots in Halifax as well, but I can't remember their names.
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