Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras

Written from the Perspective of a Member of the

Diversity and Inclusion Committee

In my last blog entitled “February Lifesavers” I wrote about two events which warmed our hearts  during the unrelenting cold and snow which plagued us throughout that month.  The first week in March we saw more of the same.  Fortunately for us the two groups that helped to brighten our spirits in February had planned an event for Shrove Tuesday (March fourth) which would once again warm us up on the inside while the cold winds blew outside. 

Members of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee began their explorations of ways to observe the day by clarifying the meaning of unfamiliar terms beginning with the word Shrove. They learned it means confess and is applied to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which begins the season of penitence and fasting known as Lent. The French term Mardi Gras which means “Fat Tuesday” derives from the custom of eating rich fatty foods on the day before Ash Wednesday as a way to rid the pantry of lard, sugar, fat, and butter before the Lenten practice of fasting observed by many Christian denominations. 

Committee members also learned that another name for Shrove Tuesday is Pancake Tuesday because in many different parts of the world pancakes are one of the foods frequently served as one way to use up rich foods on hand.  In addition they found that in Pennsylvania Dutch and many German areas fastnachts, fried doughnuts, are quite popular on this day.  The name comes from two Gernman words: “faster” which means “to fast” and “nacht” which means “night” indicating the eve of the traditional Lenten fast. The German version is made from yeast dough, deep fried, and coated or dusted in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar; they may be plain or filled with fruit jam. Pennsylvania Dutch fasnachts can often be potato doughnuts, and may be uncoated, dusted with table sugar, or powdered with confectioner's sugar.   It quickly became apparent that the help of our dining staff would be essential to carry out a meaningful observance of Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras.

 Thus it was that the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and our outstanding dining staff came together to provide us with a taste of Shrove Tuesday and Mardi Gras traditions by offering us free pancakes and fastnachts at lunch on Shrove Tuesday.  As we entered the Heller Dining Room that day we found it decorated with colorful beads, masks, and glitter which created a festive atmosphere reflecting the carnival nature of Mardi Gras.   Research on the background of this aspect of Mardi Gras revealed that it goes back hundreds and hundreds of years when followers of the Catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right before the first day of Lent.  Because Catholics are not supposed to eat meat during Lent, they called their festival, carnevale, which means “to put away the meat.”  Over time the practice of carnivals spread throughout the world.

In the Bistro Jim, our Executive Chef, along with members off his staff were kept busy at  the grill making pancakes.  Everyone who had a pancake or two or three proclaimed them to be light, fluffy, and delicious.  In a word: perfect.  Fastnachts and crullers were available on the counter next to the grill. 

 

A pancake flipping contest in the Heller Dining Room proved to be a fun time for both spectators and participants.  A supply of skillets and cooked pancakes gave residents and staff members a chance to demonstrate their skill or lack thereof.  The objective of the contest was to see how many times a contestant could flip a pancake in thirty seconds.  The picture below shows the three top “flippers.”  Seen on the far right is Joan, one of our newest residents, who flipped her pancake 40 times.  On her left are two staff members, Stella and David, who tied for second place by flipping their pancakes 36 times.  The spectators joined the fun by cheering and poking good natured fun according to the degree of skill  or ineptitude displayed by the contestants.