My Paczki Adventure

So my VanderHorst Family friends, Charolette, Yvonne, and Mom Theresa, introduced me to Paczki. What the heck is that???? They were talking all about it on Facebook and were all excited, I had to join in the excitement. So with the information they gave me and the information on the internet I learned that Polish Catholics eat Paczkis on Fat Tuesday.

Like any recipe they vary, but the basic premise is that you are supposed to clean your house of all the ingredients for Lent, so they came up with this recipe of making this doughnut-type of a danish the day before Lent is to begin. Most are fried, but some are actually baked. Some are filled with fruit, some are filled with a custard, some are filled with a cream cheese filling. I read one article about this Polish Catholic church up near San Francisco that make these as a fundraiser for their senior citizen group, sell them on Fat Tuesday, and the proceeds from the sale are what funds their whole program for the year. I read one article that talked about people lining up at 4:30 in the morning in Chicago to get theirs, and one town in Michigan that has a whole Pazcki Day Parade. Crazy; doncha' think???

So Charolette picked up her Paczki at the market, Yvonne's hubby picked theirs up at a bakery, and Theresa picked hers up at Walmart since there were no great bakeries near her home. Where am I to pick up a Paczki in Norwalk? Tamales...no problemo...but Paczkis???? I hunted down a Polish Deli in Orange. Make the call, yep, they have them. Okey dokey...out the door I go on my search for this VanderHorst Family tradition.

I drive over there, three freeways later, and go in. The lady behind the counter is speaking Polish to a male customer who leaves empty handed. Then again has a conversation in Polish with a woman who leaves empty handed...whatever, I don't speak Polish; right? So then it's my turn. "Hi, I called a little bit ago about some Paczkis." "They're all gone." "What????????? Are you kidding me?" "You need to order them, if you want them." Okay, so I proceed to tell her how I drove all the way from L.A. to get these suckas and had never heard of them before today. She says they only make them three days a year; the Thursday before Lent, the Saturday before Lent, and Fat Tuesday. She explains that their belief is that they are good luck. If you eat them and then keep your fasts for Lent, God will give you good luck the rest of the year. "Well, I guess I'm outta' luck," I say. To this she cracks up!!!!

Well, long story short, she took pity on me and explained that she had some for her family and I can have ONE, just so I can taste it, but next year I have to pre-order them. I'm so humbled and blessed that she would take one from her family stash...but it hits me and I ask, "Am I taking somebody's luck?" She cracked up and I thought once again...always an adventure for Shannon!

So...what did my little guy taste like??? Well, like they said...a rich doughnut. Ours had a filling, which at first I thought I got a bonus with chocolate...but we actually think it was more like maybe apple, peach, and prune. It was tasty...but truthfully, the adventure made it special and worth it all. I've already warned the VanderHorst Family...I'm taking a trip back east next year to experience the whole Paczki Craze out there! You've heard of pub crawls...I'm going on a Paczki Crawl!!! I'll letcha' know next year about the experience!