Vanchella Vagabonds

  This has been our first year to experience Carnevale in Sicily. It has been fun and interesting, and we've learned a lot about this holiday season both in Italy and other countries. Growing up in Detroit (and I think this applies to almost everywhere in the U.S., with the exception of New Orleans), Carnival celebration was limited to Fat Tuesday. In fact, I don't remember ever calling this season Carnival. With there being many Polish and Italian immigrants (primarily Catholic), the focus seemed to be on the foods of Fat Tuesday in anticipation of the Lent period during which many Catholics forgo sweets.  John doesn't remember having special Italian foods for Fat Tuesday, but we both remember eating, pączki, a traditional Polish doughnut. They were typically filled with jam, but might also have lemon or custard, and they were either glazed or covered in powder sugar. Pączki were like a high-level jelly doughnut, as the dough was not the same as a typical doughnut.  If y...