Eat Dance Live

Oh, the life of a PhD student... I was super excited to post about our Mardi Gras and some initial thoughts about Ash Wednesday and Lent last night, but readings, presentations, and papers caught up with me and left a big pile at my door that I was busy picking up until this morning. Anyhoo, Mardi Gras has always played a big role in my life , you know, to stuff my face with crepes and go all out before the season of Lent. In the spirit of the "stuff your face" aspect of Mardi Gras, Andrew shared with me that the only thing his family ever did for Shrove Tuesday was eat pancakes. I'd never heard of that, but since I knew that one of two things I would be giving up for Lent was grains, I was game for respecting his culinary heritage. Having just looked Shrove Tuesday up on the Universal Life Source called Wikipedia, I have learned that: Shrove Tuesday is what English-speaking countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Philippines, call Ma...

Another day, another festival! Happy Mardi Gras to all! In preparation for the Christian season of Lent, Mardi Gras is something like an ultimate celebration of indulgence to kick off 40 days of reflection, austerity, and growth ending at Easter. Because most people choose to fast or abstain from something during the period of Lent, Mardi Gras (as the name would suggest) is mostly about the food and the revelries. Costumes, masks, parades, and baked goodies, it is colorful, cheerful and oh so sweet! One of the most quintessential French traditions on Mardi Gras is to make crêpes, the wonderful treat that does not translate as 'pancake'. The sweet ones are usually filled with Nutella, sugar and lemon juice, Grand Marnier, bananas, or jams, while the salty ones are usually some permutation of a vehicle for ham, eggs, mushrooms, and cheese. If you've ever been to Paris (or plan to go) I highly suggest you go to a traditional crêpes vendor to have your own piece of French cul...