John's Blog

Where I grew up, there was a tradition that was pure Pennsylvania Dutch which was celebrated as you headed into Shrove Tuesday. The idea was that before Lent began, you would whip up a batch of tasty donuts, called fastnachs. Originally they were made from a deep-fried, yeast raised potato dough, but God only knows what the ones you get in supermarkets were made of. The idea was that for Lent, you would be forbidden from eating rich things, so you would use up all the ingredients and have one last fling. That was it's origin at least, since most people I knew seldom gave up anything for Lent, but we did love to eat fastnachts.

I really wasn't aware that in most of the rest of the world, a similar ritual occurs, but they call it Pancake Day. Or that this is yet another case of a pagan celebration re-purposed as a Christian tradition.

All I know is that I'm really craving a fastnacht right now! AND that you can get FREE PANCAKES! at IHOP!