A Few of Our Favorite Things: Fat Tuesday Edition
Posted February 25, 2020
Fat Tuesday is traditionally the time where we gorge on our favorites before the 40-day fasting period of Lent. Whether you’re fasting, giving that one thing up or just ready for the flood of hurricanes and King’s Cake, Fat Tuesday can be enjoyed by every human who has one thing in common: We all love to talk about food!
I’m writing this blog from the friendly confines of McDonald’s, and I’m not afraid to admit it: I crave and adore McDonald’s. When they sing, “I’m lovin’ it,” I shout back: Yes, I do! Perhaps it comes from the fact that I’m from Southeast Missouri, the land of chain restaurants, and every Sunday was a special fast food choice from the grandma who spoiled me. But, in a sea of competition, McDonald’s always stood out.
I make it my mission to eat McDonald’s in every country I visit, and it’s always consistent, delicious, welcoming and the only place where I don’t need ketchup on my fries. It’s a great choice for my ideal Fat Tuesday meal, and I’m sitting here eating breakfast hotcakes with a smile on my face and the joy of Mardi Gras season upon my heart.
Segwaying into other guilty pleasures, Jasmyne Harris says if her Fat Tuesday pick could be one single food, sign her up for French fries. Growing up when her family would go out to eat, she would get double fries as her side choice for her meals.
“My parents caught on to my guilty pleasure and secretly would tell the server to swap one of them out for something green and healthy. Rude. Shoestring, steak cut, crinkle cut, you name it, I’m eating them! How can anyone turn down the best way to eat a potato? All you need is a little salt and ketchup and you’re set. However, nothing is better than the rogue fries at the bottom of the bag of your to go food just when you thought you were done!”
Keith Seiz feels the same way about fries — but only on Fat Tuesday. “I swear I’m not as lame as this is going to make me sound, but French fries are my Fat Tuesday splurge. I love them, but also stay away from them because I’m not a big fan of the health aspects of dipping foods I eat into hot vats of oil. So for Fat Tuesday, I’ll go out and splurge on French fries instead of my usual side salad or steamed vegetable side dish.
Jonathan Galbreath has a special place in his heart for Chili Cheese Fritos on road trips — and on Fat Tuesday.
“I have no idea why, and I don’t want to know. I eat vegetarian or vegan 99% of the time. The last 1% is made up of 0.2% – accidental animal parts in a salad (restaurant ordering failure), and 0.8% – it’s a road trip, don’t bother me, mouth-in-bag, chow-down on Chili Cheese Fritos. Every pit stop. I will miss exits, take wrong turns and waste fuel just to get my paws on that savory brown dust. In complement, I’ve had many beverages to accompany Chili Cheese Fritos and nothing pairs better than Red Bull. I don’t really care for energy drinks, but, I discovered this near ketchup and mustard marriage while traveling across Kansas for five days (really long, uninteresting story). Anyhoo … the burps. Burps. Burps. Burps. That’s the only way to fill the void in between fill-ups. Downside, nothing can tame the fragrance. Which, on a road trip, could be the less of two evils.
Finally, Alison Wuebbels bring’s the Fat Tuesday conversation full circle with her favorite: King Cake, a Mardi Gras tradition.
“Fat Tuesday has always been a big splurge day in my family. Being the day before the Lenten season, my Catholic family would always stock up on junk food and guilty pleasures before practicing fasting for the next 40 days. A staple our family always loved was King Cake. I just learned of the cake’s biblical meaning, but it seems fitting. This year, I might have to try my hand at making the colorful ring-shaped doughy cake, but I will leave out the small baby figurine for choking hazards.
Tags: Fat Tuesday, French fries, Mardi Gras
CATEGORY: Brightly Creative
