Mardi Gras

Today is a special day for many people. It goes by many names. Shrove Tuesday. Carnaval. Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday.

Here's my take on things after a little Googling: Shrove Tuesday seems to focus on confession before the Lenten season begins, and evidently, pancakes are involved. Carnaval or Mardi Gras seems to be about partying and parades with purple, green, and gold beads, and Fat Tuesday seems to be about eating lots of sweet things like pastries and paczkis before beginning a season of fasting before Good Friday. 

Photo: Sweetwater's Donut Mill in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Of the four, Fat Tuesday has been calling my name. I love to eat, and this holiday is an excuse to indulge in all the sweets, especially paczki (a Polish pastry that looks like an über-fancy donut with filling and frosting). What more could a girl want? Maybe a little ice cream and some cookies, too.

Until I moved to Saint Charles, Illinois, I had never heard of Fat Tuesday. Now let me embarrass myself by telling you I minored in French, and never bothered to translate the French "Mardi Gras" to the English "Fat Tuesday." I just knew it was a big carnival and party day in New Orleans.

When I first learned about Fat Tuesday, I could not believe I'd missed celebrating this amazing day of feasting and merrymaking. Our ancestors came from Germany, and I was sad to learn that Germans also celebrate Karneval. I'm not sad that Germans observe the holiday, but honestly, why didn't Grandma and Grandpa tell me about this holiday of EATING. ALL. THE. THINGS? This girl's been missing out.

Well, except for that fasting part. I've never been very good at being pious or giving up good stuff for any length of time. I'm just interested in the going wild with yumminess part of the celebration.

Last year by the time I even knew what a paczek was, all of the local bakeries had sold out of the delicacies. Apparently, those in the know order their pastries weeks in advance. 

You can take your chances and hope to score a paczek or two as a walk-in customer, but from what I hear, the odds are against you. So I was bound and determined that THIS year would be my year; I was going to try paczki!

PSSST. A-hem. Excuse me, Ms. Persistence. You have been feasting and merrymaking for the last several weeks; days on end. You've had ice cream, chocolate waffles with frosting, Oreos, and cookies. Yeah, stuffing your face with Polish pastries is just what you need to compound your issues with binge-eating. Go crazy, and introduce your tongue to one more thing to crave. Or not. 

So what about ceasing and desisting with the party in your mouth, and get back to the business of persisting, Missy.

Sigh. 

Yesterday, I finally summoned up some motivation, and focused my attention on working out and eating healthy food. I was Queen of the Sledding Hill, and spent a half an hour sliding down, and walking back up the hill. I politely declined delicious, fluffy scones made by a friend. I drank a protein-spinach shake, and had some veggies. For supper I had a bowl of chicken and rice soup. When I was craving something sweet, I made "Nice Cream." I blended frozen bananas with cocoa and protein powder until it was the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. It was the first day in a long time that I felt completely satisfied by the end of the day, and I didn't go to bed with a super-full stomach, or a guilt-ridden brain.

This morning I woke up, and it occurred to me that if I still wanted some paczki, I was going to have to leave for the bakery as soon as Chuck left for work at six. I texted my friend Joy about my mixed feelings. I told her I thought I should sit this Fat Tuesday out. Did I really want to return to my bad habits after one day of doing so well? If I were on my deathbed tomorrow, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be broken-hearted about never having tried paczki.

Joy encouraged me to do whatever was best for my mental health. In her opinion, paczki are pretty much glorified donuts, and similar items are available at various upscale donut shops. 

Her words were reassuring to me. There will be other chances to try paczkis. That settled it. 

By 6:45, I had finished my workout video, and exercised for thirty minutes, and I was out the door to spend the morning with little Elise. 

Happy Fat Tuesday, friends. Enjoy something yummy for me! I've been enjoying something yummy for you all month long. Now it's YOUR turn.