CathInfo.com

https://www.cmri.org/adsum/adsum-2016-12.pdf

Quote

On a fast day, such as a weekday in Lent or an Ember day, those who are obliged to fast may drink between meals, as often as they wish, liquids which are not very nourishing. Such liquids would be tea, coffee, wine, beer, and (according to the generous interpretation of most of the bishops of the United States in their regulations concerning fast and abstinence) milk, and undiluted fruit juices. But on a fast day one who is obliged to fast may not take between meals such liquids as soup, egg-nog, cream, etc., which are practically as nourishing as solid food.

LOL.  Our joke at STAS was that if you could get it through a straw, it was fine, and people joked about blending up Big Macs.

I think they were poking fun of a theologian who laid down that principle.

But, in all honesty, things like egg-nog and a protein shake ... these do not seem restricted, and I'm not sure I buy this source.

There was actually a bit of variety among theologians.  Many said you could drink beer between means; others that you could not  One of them who said you could have beer, then suggested that you could munch on pretzels or peanuts so that the beer doesn't upset your stomach (ne potus noceat)  

That having been said, what happened at Vatican II was ridiculous. The NewChurch only kept TWO fast days, and those are obviously thrown out by most Novus Catholics, since they aren't used to fasting or abstaining. I know "good" Novus Catholics who visit a Barbecue restaurant on Good Friday -- one old lady claimed, "I think they have fish". When they got there, of course they didn't have fish. Did that bother them? Of course not. They shrugged with an "oh well" and ordered the fried chicken. Moral of the story? You can't have a habit with a period of "every 60 days" or "every 200 days". Something that infrequent is always rounded down to NEVER. Always.

Indeed, the NO bishops won't come out and say that it's a mortal sin to not observe even these fast days.  I have extended family in the NO who routinely just dispense themselves for the most trivial reasons from the Friday abstinence ... if it's slightly inconvenient.  Ah, I'd have to run to the store to buy $20/lb. salmon, and since anything less is just barbaric, well, steak it is.

I don't think it's just about quantity though.  There's this attitude among these NovusOrdites that being strict about observing rules and regulations is legalistic and basically like the Pharisees.  What really counts is to love our neighbor (i.e. ... work at a soup kitchen for a day once every few years to make yourself feel better).  Love is about telling ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs that they're fine and not judging them.  If I embrace a sodomite couple, then I'm showing LUV, but in keeping the fast, well, that's like the hypocrites.

They also don't believe in the Church's authority.  Everyone should, according to them, just do what their conscience tells them ... i.e. do what they feel like.

No, they do not have to "run to the store to buy $20/lb salmon".  They can have macaroni and cheese with a side serving of green beans cooked with onion (no ham, bacon, etc.).  They can have a can of pinto beans and a couple of squares of buttered cornbread.  They can have fish sticks and rice.  Any of these meals is nutritious, simple, and really pretty good.

Well, of course.  I obviously wasn't agreeing with them, just illustrating their mentality.