Today is marked throughout the globe as Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras. The Pennsylvania Dutch, who are really German - Pennsylvania Deutsch, mark a custom brought from Europe of making potato doughnuts, called Fastnachts, from all the good sugar and lard that is not allowed to be indulged in during Lent. Rather than throw away all the goodies, why not make doughnuts made with potatoes and lard, fried in deep fat and coated in sugar? Surely it's not as sinful as Mardi Gras though based on the same principle - party today before no partying is allowed for the 40 days of Lent. The poem was inspired by hearing some politically correct television cook talking about alternative healthy recipes that don't use lard. That totally misses the point!

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