The tuesday before Ash Wednesday, Fat Tuesday ... Mardi Gras ... a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon dating back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites ... being from the north, a holiday I probably would never have paid much attention to if it wasn't for a simple, fruit-filled donut. The tuesday before Ash Wednesday ... Paczki Day.

It occurrs to me while standing in line at zero-dark-thirty, waiting to get a dozen (or so) of the sugary treats that...