Defined as the Christian observance of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, which spans the 40 days prior to Jesus' death and resurrection, Lent is a significant part of the year for Filipinos, especially for Cebuanos, who are considered to be the most religious bunch. Since Lent involves prohibiting the consumption of meat during Fridays, it is time to go with other alternatives when we want something to eat in Cebu.
For those who follow the Catholic tradition of getting their foreheads marked with ash in a mass on Ash Wednesday and would like to strictly keep the known responsibility that comes with that, which is not eating any meat every Friday until Easter Sunday, it can be quite hard to decide what to eat on TGIFs!
To help with such tragedy, I've come up with the following suggestions (in no particular order).
1. Mang Inasal's Lumpia Sardines - Although this food chain is more commonly known for its large portions of chicken inasal, it is actually offering a lot of other options. One of my personal favorites is their Lumpia Sardines. This is basically the usual canned sardines we get in grocery and sari-sari stores, wrapped in lumpia wrapper and fried like any other lumpia variations. It's tasty and very affordable at P35 served with rice already. For someone like me who loves sardines, this is a real treat. It is fish and therefore, perfect for Lent.
2. Dimsum Break's Fried Fish Siomai, Vegetable Dumplings and Tofu Lumpia - Found only in Cebu, Dimsum Break honors the religious nature of most people in the Queen City of the South by offering myriad of food choices for Lent. One of them is their fish siomai. Look-wise, it lacks the oil and mouthwatering features of the regular pork siomai. Once tasted though, the softness of fish meat in the mouth is just surprising as it is very different from the dry appearance of this siomai variation. Paired with the usual toyo and chili sauce concocted for this dish, it is one of the few delicious ways to go sinless this Lenten season.
The dumplings are crunchy delights. My personal preference is to pair it off with the sweet & sour sauce made originally for their spring roll. The perfect combination is probably due to the fact that they are both technically wrapped vegetables. 
3. Chowking's Tofu - One of my top favorite fastfood items is tofu from Chowking. There is a non-Lent variation of the dish, which comes with pork, but the all-tofu one is always preferred (by me) in an effort to cut down on my red meat intake. This protein-rich ingredient can act as a substitute for pork in various dishes. At Chowking though, it is offered in a simple yet appetizing presentation. Toyo plus onions plus tofu is one great meal already (for me!).
4. Alberto's Garden Express Pizza - Another personal favorite that makes it to my list of Lent-appropriate chow is the vegetarian pizza from Alberto's. It comes with button mushrooms sliced in halves, pineapple tidbits, black olives, onions, red & green bellpepper and my favorite red tomatoes. Not only good for Lent but also good for your heart.
5. Mama's Homemade Dishes - Yes, there is probably no better source of nutritious way to one's stomach than through our own mom's cooking. Ingredients to such are affordable, and you are completely sure about their overall quality.
Some of my favorites (Chopsuey, Fish Tinola, Utan Bisaya & Fried Fish)
These are just some of the places to eat in Cebu this Lenten season. For those who are into food adventures though, there are bound to be some more to discover and enjoy at. The important thing there is we are able to follow through with what we believe in, no matter how religious or not we are.
Have a blessed life, y'all!
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