Mardi Gras in upon us and it’s time to celebrate with a Polish treat—paczki. WHAT?
Yep. Let the good times roll with a powdered paczki. I have fond memories of these delicious orbs. Having spent all of my working life in Chicagoland, and since Chicago has the largest population of Poles outside of Warsaw, often the Polish contingent at work would buy some for the office to spread the delicious evangelism. It was a kind of, “everyone’s Polish on paczki day.”
Well I was in my grocery store bakery the other day and I asked if they would have paczkis. “Yes.” was the immediate answer followed by a recitation of all of the flavors and then they declared, “We will have them Monday AND Tuesday.” She asked if I would like to make an order, it’s recommended. I said “Sure, but I only need one paczki.” “Only one?” she asked with a grief-stricken look crossing her face. I nodded, “only one, cherry, please.” This year, I’m not working in an office. I am doing projects from home so I have no co-workers to convert to this scrumptious pastry. And, usually, paczki travel in posses, nestled sphere to sphere in a white cardboard box tied with string, at the ready to impress and win over.
A lone paczki is an anomaly. You very rarely see them in captivity, and yet, I will be picking up mine today at 10, suffused with the memories of workplaces past.
I’m Rosie Klepperand that’s my perspective.
