Day 40: April 2, 2015 - Finding Something Lenten at IKEA (Canada) - Βρίσκοντας Κάτι Νηστίσιμο Στο IKEA (Καναδά)

Today is the 40th day of Great Lent. Isn't Lent supposed to be 40 days of fasting? We have only another week to go, and then… As we are getting closer and closer to the end of our season, we still are following our fasting rules, and incorporating a Greek Orthodox fast into our daily lives. Each day, we try to focus a little more on prayer, a little more on our spiritual health, and a little less than usual on the food. It is very difficult to not focus on food while writing a blog about it. But, today, we thought it would be a very good idea to take one of our routine walks, without the routine food!

We went to Ikea for our walk.  Typically, we will choose a large store with plenty of places to walk and browse when there is inclement weather.  When we choose the store, we think about which one may be less busy than others.  Today was a day for us to go to Ikea.  We go there about once a month for a walk, and during non-fasting periods, we may have a hot dog or a yogurt.  Some days, it is just a free coffee.  But, today, we chose none of the above.

At Ikea, as you walk past the cash registers, on the way out of the store, there is a snack stand that sells hot dogs, pizza, potato chips, various drinks, frozen yogurt, and cinnamon rolls.  The menu is very short, and you quickly learn exactly what you will receive for your dollar.  We glanced at the menu, discussed returning to Ikea after Pascha just to have a hot dog and yogurt, and then, something jumped out at us.  Ikea has a Vegetarian Wrap!

Who knew that IKEA was offering a vegetarian anything at the snack bar?  We knew the restaurant (usually on the second floor in the North York (Toronto) store) offered a variety of choices of fish, salads, and pastas with marinara sauce (a vegan dish).  But, we did not really expect to see "Vegetarian Wrap  $3.99" anywhere in the store.  Yet, there it was!  So, in our typical and somewhat expected curiosity, we had to ask what was in the Vegetarian Wrap at Ikea.

We approached the counter to ask for one of these special wraps, just to learn that the Ikea snack bar had sold out of wraps for the day.  So, we had to ask about the contents.  There are some people who will stand there and talk to you, and others who know the value of a picture.  The young lady worker pulled out this sign for us to see, and said, "Here is what's on the wrap so you can get one next time."  We were surprised that this was going to be or was a regular menu item, yet, we did not know how long ago it arrived on the menu.  Had it been that long since we had walked at Ikea?  Who knows.  But, we wanted to learn about the wrap, so here is what we were shown:

This looked like a good choice, and almost completely edible during Great Lent.  We would have to ask if we could omit the mayonnaise in order to taste this during a fasting season.  Often, if the sandwich or wrap, in this case, is made on site, they can do that.  IKEA sometimes just includes a packet of mayonnaise on the side of the sandwich, and you squeeze it on yourself.  But, this is listed in the ingredients, so we must assume that the mayonnaise is on the tortilla.  Outside of that, this looked like a reasonable choice while at IKEA.  Who would have thought that Ikea would offer a vegetarian anything, but a somewhat healthy seeming wrap was an amazing option.  Now, we just have to return to this store after Pascha and taste it to let you know what it tastes like.  This may be the one reason we hope for bad weather, so we can have another walk at IKEA.

"The more one is united to his neighbor the more he is united to God."

From St. Dorotheos of Gaza (Discourses and Sayings; Cistercian Publications pg. 138)
Source of quote: http://theodorakis.net/orthodoxquotescomplete.html