By Gionna Bean, Opinion Editor
Paczkis served in Wege Tuesday, Mar. 4 – Photo by Aquinas Dining Instagram
Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras in French, is the day before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. Traditionally, it is a day to indulge in food before the fasting begins. In Grand Rapids, the morning of Fat Tuesday brings a flurry of activity at local bakeries, as customers eagerly line up for one thing: paczki.
The word “paczki” translates to “little packages” in Polish, and these doughy treats are a central part of the Fat Tuesday tradition. The word itself often catches people off guard—despite its quirky appearance, it’s pronounced “POONCH-key,” with the singular form, “paczek,” pronounced “POON-check.”
When it comes to paczki flavors, people have strong preferences. The usual flavors include custard, prune and cherry. Rose petal marmalade is a popular filling in the Warsaw area, known for its unique, fragrant scent. Aquinas students seem to enjoy the fruit-filled paczki. “The blueberry one is probably hands down my favorite,” sophomore Logan Licence said.
Sophomore Noah Morris disagrees. “No, the blueberries suck,” Morris said. “Apple and lemon are really good, and cherry as well. Plum has to be the worst.”
Paczkis from Schnitz Bakery – Photo by Gionna Bean
Even members of Aquinas faculty recognize the importance of the fatty pastry. “For Fat Tuesday this year I celebrated by hanging out in the lobby of AB to start the day and wishing everyone a Fat Tuesday (or as I like to call it Tuesday) and making sure everyone got a paczki,” Director of Campus Ministry Michael Ingram said. “In addition, I spent the day drinking as much coffee as possible since I knew I was giving up coffee this Lent. I think I finished the day with seven or eight cups! As for my favorite place to get a paczki, my go-to bakeries in town are Van’s and Schnitz.”
Another Fat Tuesday tradition is finding the Baby Jesus in the King Cake. Traditionally, a King Cake, decked out in the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold, will hide a small plastic baby for a lucky winner to find. Wege did their own take on this by giving out cupcakes in Wege instead. The winner, Licence, won a pair of headphones.
Wege served up other festive foods including paczki, muffuletta and po’ boy sandwiches and jambalaya and seafood étouffée.
Po’ boy sandwich – Photo by Aquinas Dining Instagram
Still other students have their own untraditional ways of celebrating Fat Tuesday. “I went to Monelli’s with my mom and two of my friends, because last year I went with my mom,” freshman Trista Cridler said. “So, I went this year again, ate a ton of Italian food and had a great Fat Tuesday.”
The Saint 