Yum!

Today is Paczki Day! I read in the News that I would have to walk for 2 hours or run for 35-40 minutes or so to work off one paczek (don't call it a jelly doughnut).

Well, isn't it fortuitous that we just joined that outstanding Y? Yippeeee! Paczki, here I come!

When I was kid, no one used the words "Fat Tuesday," and the phrase offended me when I first learned of it. I thought of the day before Ash Wednesday in much more joyous terms. It was always -- and still is -- Paczki Day. Boxes of them were always brought to my little Catholic school for the yummy, indulgent celebration before the beginning of Lent. (Lent, of course, is the 40-plus days of fasting, etc. before Easter.)

Just so those of you non-poles know, Paczki is the plural for paczek. These lovely creations are essentially deep-fried dough filled with different sorts of fruit filling, like raspberry, lemon, blueberry, etc.

The ones we bought were raspberry-filled. And they were delish.

From Wikipedia:

Polish immigrants have popularized this type of preserve-filled doughnut in some parts of the United States, especially in Hamtramck, an enclave of Detroit. Hamtramck is known to be the only U.S. city to organize an annual Paczki-Day (Fat Tuesday) Parade, and lines can be seen up to 24 hours before the deep-fried delights go on sale at the numerous local bakeries. Many bars in town open early in the morning, and provide free entertainment, a party atmosphere, and even Paczki-clad mascots. The Paczki-Day celebration in this town is even larger than many areas have for St. Patrick's Day.