I Almost Forgot! Happy Paczki Day!

So today is Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday (which, in French, is "Mardi Gras"). Traditionally it is the day when everyone used up their eggs and lard and stuff before Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. This has created many traditions around Christendom, depending on where you are.

Here in Detroit, we have a Polish tradition: Paczki (pronounced POONCH-key). They are jelly donuts on steroids. I cannot remember the calorie and fat breakdown. It is impressive. Like when they were trying to kill Homer The Food Critic, and the French Chef made that monster eclair...good times.

Here's an article from The Detroit News about Paczki: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070220/METRO/702200345

Plus, check it out - there's a wiki! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paczki

Of course, we in the western Church (i.e. The Roman Catholic Church) don't really do the serious fasting that they still mostly do in the eastern Churches. I'm not sure why. My instinct is to blame the 60s. And Jane Fonda.

Anyway, if you are anywhere near a Polish bakery, have a paczek today. The calories don't count today. And, like we are all Irish on March 17th, we are all Polish on Fat Tuesday.

Unless we're French. Then we get drunk and flash strangers while wearing brightly colored beads.

I prefer being Polish, myself.