Ash Wednesday kicks off one of the most important and longest running traditions at Notre Dame and Saint Mary's. No, I am not talking about Lent. Preparing for the remembrance of the death and resurrection of Christ is surely important but doesn't seemed to incite the passion and debate that this other tradition does. Ash Wednesday is the official start to the "Complain about not having meat in the dining halls on Fridays" season.

Even as you eat your Blazin' Sea Nuggets or whatever other meatless contraption the dining halls is dishing out today, the in box at Viewpoint.1@nd.edu is already filling with complaints about the injustice of forcing students to give up meat on Fridays whether they are practicing Catholics or not.

Shortly after a few of those letters run in the paper, the inbox will fill with more letters attacking the first set of letters. These letters will have the basic message that giving up meat is a sacrifice for Christ and that it is only a tiny thing we can do to remember his suffering.

Next will come the retort from the first group pointing out that without the option of meat in the dining halls, there can be no chance to chose a meatless meal and therefore, no true sacrifice.

This debate will continue back and forth for a few days until finally all the letters just repeat themselves and Viewpoint stops publishing them. It's the same every single year.

So please, just stop.

There are greater injustices in this world than eating spaghetti with tomato sauce and no meatballs once a week. There are greater crises than whether or not you can have a steak. If you really want some beef on Friday, go to LaFortune and order a Whopper.

As far as the logic of choice and sacrifice, the pro-meat on Friday people are exactly right. If the dining hall doesn't offer the choice of meat on Fridays then it really isn't a sacrifice to eat the fish sandwich rather than the non-existent cheeseburger. You can argue logically as much as you want but that still won't change the menu. Logical argument seem to have no effect on the administration and University big wigs. At the same time, you can't honestly expect a Catholic school to break one of its own dogmatic traditions.

If you are really concerned about making a true meat sacrifice today and every Friday until Easter, walk through LaFortune before heading to the dining halls. Walk past the Whoppers and pepperoni pizza. Ignore the roast beef sandwich. Then head to the dining hall and shovel down your vegetarian lasagna. Then you will have made a true sacrifice.

And if not eating pork on Fridays in Lent is still that big a deal to you, move off campus. Get your own room, your own kitchen, cable, much cheaper rent and no parietals. Then you can cook whatever you want and you won't feel oppressed any more.

But until next semester rolls around and you are happily eating beef whenever you want off-campus, avoid the Blazin' Sea Nuggets. Those things are scary.

• Meatless Fridays