The French have Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), but the Poles have Fat Thursday. I learned about Fat Thursday the other day when I saw and bought paczki donuts at the local Giant supermarket. They had them right as you walked in. Positioned for impulse buying. And, as I’ve blogged before, I drive under the influence of Dunkin’ Donuts.
“Paczki donuts” is what it said on the label. When I googled “paczki” I found out the Poles, along with some other European countries, celebrate the last Thursday before Lent as Fat Thursday. They make the donuts to use up the oil and sugar that will be given up during Lent. I also found out that paczki is pronounced like punch-key, and that Ukrainians call them pampushsky.
Ironically, and tragically, Putin sent Russian armies to invade Ukraine on this Fat Thursday. No sweetness there. Except, I also found a story about Polish people distributing paczki to Ukrainian refugees camped out at a train station. May they all find peace and ease, and the sweetness of human kindness.