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Mexican Lifestyles Food & Dining Fish Sales Skyrocket During Lent
Mexican Lifestyles Food & Dining Fish Sales Skyrocket During Lent | Fish Sales Skyrocket During Lent |
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| Written by David Agren | |
| Saturday, 11 March 2006 | |
 'Employees at Happy Fish on Av. Tepeyac prepare Baja California-style seafood tacos last Friday. Sales at the taco stand double on Fridays during Lent. ' - Photo By D. Agren In heavily-Catholic Guad-alajara, the 40 days of Lent lure customers by the droves into area seafood restaurants and fish markets Ð especially on Fridays (see box). Business last Friday more than doubled at Happy Fish, according to manager Caesar Diaz, who rolled out of bed at 3:30 a.m. to prepare for the rush. "It's a lot of work, but it's worth the effort," he said. To handle the influx of customers, he scheduled seven additional employees for the day, enticing them to his hole-in-the-wall business with a temporary pay raise. Other seafood restaurants also reported a steep jump in business. Management at El Maybe, a combination seafood restaurant, car wash and oil-change center on Circunvalencion Augustin Ya–ez in Guadalajara, expected to serve three times the normal number of customers on the first viernes de cuaresma (Friday during Lent). McDonald's even launched a Filet-O-Fish special. Sales also jumped at Zapopan's mammoth Mercado del Mar, one of Mexico's largest seafood markets. According to several vendors, sales usually increase by 30 to 50 percent during Lent. Prices also climb by up to 50 percent, although the federal government actively cracks down on price gouging. Inspectors also search for non-hygenic vendors, who filet fish in unlicenced locations, which often include tianguis. The Mexican Fishing and Aquaculture Institute reports that Mexicans eat an average of 12 kilograms of seafood annually, with more consumed during Lent. While business boomed at seafood restaurants, many restaurants specializing in meat dishes suffered last Friday, including locations that serve carne en su jugo (meat in its juice), a Jalisco specialty. With the arrival of Lent, Diaz said competition from temporary fish taco vendors stiffens Ñ a new stand opened just a few blocks away from the Happy Fish. Diaz's family started their business 15 years ago, when competition was light, bringing a taste of Baja California to Guadalajara. (A taco estilo Baja California incorporates battered seafood, which is fried). Students from the UNIVA university and employees at a nearby Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) facility often frequent Happy Fish, but during Lent, Diaz said customers come from all parts of the Guadalajara area. Several customers at Happy Fish said Lent prompted them to visit the taco stand, but added that they usually eat there anyway. "I often eat here, but it's Lent so I had to come today," said Fernando Bautista while waiting in line. Others stopped by, however, simply out of convenience. "Lent isn't too important," commented Antonio Solis, who washes cars parked on a nearby side street for tips. "I just want to eat something." FISH & LENT Most Catholics forgo eating meat on Fridays during the 40-day Lenten period (known as Cuaresma in Mexico), which began on February 28, Ash Wednesday. (Some Catholics still observe this custom throughout the year though). According to tradition, Catholics would fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. But over the past few centuries, the Wednesday fast was dropped and the Friday fast increasingly meant simply not eating meat. Fish eventually found a place on most Cuaresma menus, a popular and permitted alternative to meat. Along with fish, virtually all types of seafood are permitted. |
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