Fat Tuesday Etiquette

An article by Amy Lockard    3 Comments

Fat Tuesday is again upon us, which is the day before Lent starts for Catholics. This is the day when traditionally Polish Catholics in the Midwest have cleaned out their pantries of sugar and lard and created the paczki.

The point of making the sweet pastries, which are traditionally fried balls of dough, filled with custards, or jellies, and glazed or powdered, is to get rid of all the indulgent ingredients in your kitchen before Lent. Lent is the 40 days before Easter and is a time that is meant to be a somber time of fasting and prayer in preparation for Easter. Have you ever heard someone ask “What are you giving up for Lent?” Fat Tuesday is part of that process of cleaning out the excess for Lent.

So, Fat Tuesday is supposed to be a joyous day, before the more inward, reflective time of Lent. The idea of Fat Tuesday is that you get to eat goodies one last time for over a month, and boy are those paczki good!

I come from Polish Catholic heritage, so I usually also like to make a Polish style dinner on Fat Tuesday, either stuffed cabbage, sausage, or City Chicken. To me Fat Tuesday is as much about the start of Lent, as it is about celebrating my Polish heritage.

But, of course you don’t have to be Polish, or Catholic to enjoy Fat Tuesday.

Last week for our “We’re Asking?” section of the Spinal Column I asked folks in the area which type of paczki was their favorite. Some answers included cream, and an oldie, prune. The favorites in my house hold are lemon, raspberry and custard. My favorite being custard, and that’s what I plan on having tomorrow, FOR BREAKFAST.

I have to admit though, that not everyone likes paczki. There are what I consider paczki haters out there. Hey, if they aren’t your cup of tea, or you just don’t like sweets that much, I understand. Taste is taste, everyone has their own. I do have to say though, PLEASE DON”T RUIN IT FOR THE REST OF US!

Don’t be a Paczki Hater. Some advice for those who find themselves with the urge to voice their dislike of Fat Tuesday or paczki publicly tomorrow, please follow a few simple rules of etiquette:

#1 A PACZKI is NOT a just a “jelly donut” its a cultural food item. RESPECT THAT.

#2 NEVER point out that paczki are high in calories, sugar, fat, or whatever, other than awesomeness. NEVER say how “fattening” a paczki is, or point out how much exercise someone would have to do in order to “work off” a paczki. Everyone KNOWS they are not diet food, its a treat that you eat once a year. I eat a lot of vegan food, and I am still going to eat one, or more, tomorrow.

#3 In general, listen to Thumper’s mother (you know, the character from Bambi), and “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” You aren’t proving that you are a healthier person, or more conscious person, if point out to someone eating a paczki that the pastries are “so fattening” or that you “can’t imagine eating one”, you just sound like a jerk.

#4 If someone brings a box of paczki to your workplace tomorrow, thank them, or better yet, hug them. THEY ROCK.

#5 If you don’t like, or don’t want to eat, or can’t eat a paczki tomorrow, that’s OK, just go about your day. It will be all over in 24 hours.

THANK YOU!