Why do we fast on friday?

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we abstain from meat on Friday because Christ gave up his flesh for the life of the world on Friday.
 
Oh. So we can eat cold-blooded animals?
 
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From a “legalistic” point of view, it’s because that’s what your Bishop or Bishop’s Conference (e.g. USCCB) has said.

If your Bishop said that beavers were fish, and that you could eat them [during Lent], then you could:
So in the 17th century, the Bishop of Quebec approached his superiors in the Church and asked whether his flock would be permitted to eat beaver meat on Fridays during Lent, despite the fact that meat-eating was forbidden. Since the semi-aquatic rodent was a skilled swimmer, the Church declared that the beaver was a fish. Being a fish, beaver barbeques were permitted throughout Lent. Problem solved!
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– Once Upon A Time, The Catholic Church Decided That Beavers Were Fish - Scientific American Blog Network

From a theological point of view:
Aquinas thought fellow Catholics should abstain from eating land-locked animals because they were too darn tasty. Lent was a time for simplicity, and he suggested that everyone tone it down. It makes sense. In the 1200s, meat was a luxury. Eating something as decadent as beef was no way to celebrate a holiday centered on modesty.
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From a Biblical/Traditional point of view:
Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, for one, has been used to justify fasting rules. Paul wrote, “…There is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds” (15:39). That distinction was possibly taken from Judaism’s own dietary restrictions, which separates fleishig (which includes land-locked mammals and fowl) from pareve (which includes fish). Neither the Torah, Talmud, or New Testament clearly explains the rationale behind the divide.
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Note that these sources aren’t entirely accurate or “Church-approved”, but the excerpts I provided are good enough. Also, the articles are interesting reads (although insert normal internet disclaimer here).
 
Because fish is not meat.

Meat refers to carne in Latin-- flesh meat of warm blooded animals.
 
Because fasting also is to unite ourselves with the poor. One of the cheapest foods in the Mediterranean at the time of Jesus was fish, so we eat a poor man’s food.
 
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Catholics aren’t being unscientific regarding fish, it’s just a different way of grouping. Cold-blooded animals are not relatively bloody animals. Warm-blooded animals are. We’re allowed to eat cold-blooded animals on Fridays, and that goes beyond just fish.

So, in addition to their being less blood shed, I think, traditionally, fish and shellfish and such were much more “common” food, while hens and pork and beef were, in a sense, a bit higher class. Or maybe I’m wrong on that distinction.
 
My understanding is that Latin-rite Catholics can under the current canon-law. I’ve read that the Eastern rites (at least some) require abstainance from a wider variety of foods, such as eggs, dairy, and even olive oil if I remember right. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.
 
Luke 5,35"But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then, in those days, they will fast.". What do you think about this Bible verse?
 
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