Paczki!

Don't forget that today's Mardi Gras. And that means PACZKI!

For the unitiated out there, a paczki (pronounced POONCH-ki) is a wonderful bite of Polish heaven. It's like a super thick jelly donut that Polish people make to use up the last of the fat and rich foods before Lent.

I picked up a few this morning at the Copernicus Deli here in Ann Arbor. It's a new Polish grocery, bakery, and deli in the South Main Market and it's quite good. This was my third visit. Previously I've gotten pate, smoked fish, and pierogis, all of which were quite tasty. Check it out when you get a chance.

Back in Kansas the Anglo settlers have a different tradition. They make pancakes to use up all the foods they aren't supposed to eat during lent. In Liberal they even have an international pancake race. Basically the runners (local women) carry a skillet with a pancake inside. As they run they have to flip the pancake in the air and catch it in the skillet. Simultaneous with the race in Liberal, Olney England is having its own Pancake race. At the end they compare the best times and declare a winner.

It looks like Liberal is on a winning streak, although the numbers I found are only up to date as of 2003. Keep your fingers crossed for my Kansas sisters.