A Dry Event on Fat Tuesday

This isn’t so much about today’s festivities as much as it is a revelation about March in general.

Today is Fat Tuesday! While I don’t observe Lent, I’m always down for a party. It’s true. Give me a reason to celebrate, anywhere around the world, and I’ll take it. I’m looking forward to the day when Diwali is celebrated more widely across America, because all those lights, colors, and sweets are just awesome.

As it just so happens, on this day when there are so many people trying to sneak in their last few vices before Ash Wednesday, I’ve organized a totally dry Official Yelp Event. That was entirely by accident, but we had no problem filling the guest list at Mazadar.

I suppose we might be able to still fulfill the spirit of Fat Tuesday by indulging in gluttony. And perhaps, once the event is over, I might head out for a post event drink. Ouzo is one of the secrets of my trade, because if you’ve overeaten, a glass of that stuff will ease the discomfort. Although really, it could be any anise based spirit. Absinthe is fantastic, if occasionally hard to find.

But I digress. We were talking about Fat Tuesday and what it has to do with Earth’s position relative to the Sun.

Bear with me for a moment. Because March has Fat Tuesday, Saint Patrick’s Day (3/17), and Purim (3/20). It also has Daylight Savings (3/10) and the Vernal Equinox (3/20). It’s not quite spring yet, but spring is definitely coming. We have a word for this.

It’s The Unlocking!

Up here in the Capital Region, true spring is still a couple of months away. In May it will be rainy and muddy. But by then you can surely take the snow tires off your car. Until then, it’s anybody’s guess.

Still, we’ve made it through the worst of winter, and that clearly calls for a celebration. And for a lot of cultures, that celebration calls for getting blitzed. Regardless if it’s Hurricanes on Fat Tuesday, green beer on Saint Patrick’s Day, or shots of slivovitz on Purim, enhanced merriment is the order of the day.

Which means it’s also time to start shedding some of that winter weight, and getting in those last cold weather activities.

I’ve got a head start on the diet front. However, I have not been keeping up with my winter chicken stock making plans. There are still a few more batches of bones to boil, and I want to get those made while I can still use the garage as a dedicated and powerful stock-cooling refrigerator. The beer closet also has a bunch of stouts, which to me always taste better in the grips of winter.

No, there won’t be a king cake tonight. We’re going to end our Mazadar feast with baklawa and firnee. So even though we may not be drinking, it does still feel like we’re honoring the season. It’s one last push of excess. One final blow out before the thaw.

I’ll let you know how it goes, and on Friday I plan to report back on the 3rd Annual Albany Distilling Company Cocktail Competition. Because every Monday in March I’m going out on the town and enjoying drinks from some of the best bartenders in the Capital Region. Which, again, sounds like a very March thing to do.