More than 41 percent of Americans observe the Christian season of Lent every year. For the heathens reading this, that means they give something up for 40 days. But this weekend, aside from finally being a little warmer, is the end of Lent, and if you have to break a fast, why not do it in style? Keep reading to learn more!
Social Media: The number one thing people have given up this year is Twitter; number eight is Facebook. I certainly can’t tell you how to break those fasts in style because it seems pretty self-explanatory. How to break that fast? Log back in. Post pictures of your animals wearing shame signs, link to your most recent Pinterest project, change your relationship status to make it FBO (Facebook Official), tweet about how tasty something is or Instagram a picture of your lunch. It’s not rocket science people. I can’t tell you how to do everything.
Chocolate: Oh, chocolate. There’s a reason that Ronald Dahl wrote a book about a factory dedicated to it. Personally, it seems a bit of a cheat to abstain from chocolate for 40 days and then break your fast with a Snickers bar or a hollow chocolate bunny. Why not go for broke? The Chocolate Box in Conyers has amazing chocolate (my favorite is the dark chocolate espresso graham cracker and the chocolate covered blueberries). Go to a coffee shop and get some drinkable chocolate – better than hot chocolate, it’s like a melted Hershey bar! Don’t love it so much you gave it up and then demean your love with a candy bar from a gas station.
Swearing: For me, this is another no-brainer. If you gave it up and want to start again, throw out an amazing string of cursity curse words. I don’t swear at home, because I have a child who I really don’t want dropping the F-Bomb at daycare. I make up non-curse words that serve the same purpose. Monkey lover and jerkface are two of my favorites. Instead of using the fake words for curse words, throw the word “monkey” in there. It makes it instantly more interesting.
Alcohol: Grab yourself a designated driver and get out of the house. You’ve got plenty of places around here to get your drink on, and if you check our calendar, there are a lot of those places that have bands or musicians playing this weekend. Or, have a party at your place, make it into a Lent-breaking fiesta – have everyone BYOB and stay in and play games. Drunken UNO is one of my favorites. You really get to know your friends when you play UNO with them. Seriously.
Soda: I don’t advise giving up Diet Coke – at least not for myself. It’s that jolt of caffeine in the afternoon that keeps me out of jail. But if you gave it up, then take it back up, and in Georgia what better place to do that then the World of Coca-Cola? This place is amazing, if for no other reason than for the Coke products from around the world. Some of that stuff is rancid – Stoney Ginger Beer from South America, anyone – but at least you’ll get your fill of soda!
Fast Food: I actually don’t suggest picking this one back up if you’ve managed to keep it at bay for over a month. I don’t consider anything that does not have a drive-thru as true fast food; otherwise I’d tell you to break your fast with a Five Guys burger. But if you have to break something in a drive-thru, go for the French fries. You can make them at home, but there’s not really anything that can replace a tasty Checkers French fry. Food for the Gods, they are. Now I want some Checkers…(Oh, and my editor, Gabe, said that Taco Bell does not count as fast food, because it’s delicious. Sometimes, he can be a little delusional.)
Sex: I actually thought long and hard – no pun intended – about what to say regarding breaking a fast on sex. And there’s just nothing to say on it that won’t get me fired. If you want to break this fast in style, figure it out on your own.
Sweets: This is so broad a topic it makes it really difficult. But I would choose Café Intermezzo to break my fast on sweets – if I had made one, of course. You can get all kinds of lovely desserts ther, they have several locations, you can have coffee or some wine with your dessert and it’s kinda nice, so it’s an excuse to get dressed up. I always go with plain cheesecake and a signature coffee, which has a hint of almonds and real whipped cream. Can’t go wrong with that, my friends.
Meat: This isn’t one I could give up. I’m a carnivore for real. I would suggest, if you’re coming back off a meat fast to get a big fat steak. I’ve never been to any fancy steak places, so I would probably take myself to Longhorn for a Flo’s Filet. But according to Google, the best steak in Atlanta is at Kevin Rathbun Steak. I have never been, so I can’t really speak to that, though if anyone would like to take me, I’m game.
