Hamtramck Paczki Celebrations

Vox · March-09-11, 01:37 PM

This is the last year I participate in this. The quality of the paczki in Hamtramck has plummeted to all time lows. Uneven quality, lack of fillings, and pathetic sugar dusting [[as mentioned by ghettopalmetto) has rendered them largely unpalatable. It is a shame, but this whole thing has jumped the shark.

**SWMAP** · March-09-11, 01:50 PM

Paczki Day is a horrible, money-grabbing development. It must have grown out of the immanent self-denial of the faithful of eggs and sweets during Lent. But if you aren't keeping Lent, what's the point of just stuffing yourself with cheap pie fillings in sweet dough? They taste terrible. Sad that our big claim to fame would be with yucky, gross oozing pastry. And really what else is Paczki Day? Any art, music, bars, restaurants, parades? Anything?

I can't wait until it dies.

And for real Poles the celebration iof Polish heritage is on March 19 - St. Joseph's Day.

**jcole** · March-09-11, 01:51 PM

My Paczki from the market in Romeo were large, well filled and glazed. And they were only 8.99 a dozen. Maybe they'll become the Hamtramck of the North.

**rjk** · March-09-11, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

Paczki Day is a horrible, money-grabbing development.

It might be a money grab, but it's largely in a city [[Hamtramck) that can use all the money and attention it can get. whenever I see the long lines my hope is that many of these people will return to Hamtramck and enjoy some of the other things it has to offer. Hamtramck has always been one of my favorites cities to visit, shop and spend time in.

As far as paczkis, the best ones I've found were at the Telway on Michigan Avenue. I've made the trip down there the last couple of years to pick up a dozen or two. They remind me of the ones my grandmothers use to have in that they're big, heavy and sugar glazed. I've asked them where they get them and they just say some baker in Detroit. Unfortunately they only sell them at this time of the year.

**ghettopalmetto** · March-09-11, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

Paczki Day is a horrible, money-grabbing development. It must have grown out of the immanent self-denial of the faithful of eggs and sweets during Lent. But if you aren't keeping Lent, what's the point of just stuffing yourself with cheap pie fillings in sweet dough? They taste terrible. Sad that our big claim to fame would be with yucky, gross oozing pastry. And really what else is Paczki Day? Any art, music, bars, restaurants, parades? Anything?

I can't wait until it dies.

And for real Poles the celebration iof Polish heritage is on March 19 - St. Joseph's Day.

I half-agree with you, SWMAP. I'm not sure of your heritage, but paczki are a traditional Polish pastry. It's not like they were invented in Hamtramck--unless, of course, your post speaks to the quality of those sold in Southeastern Michigan.

As a proud Polish American, I personally despise the term "Paczki Day". The term completely glosses over the religious undertones, the preparation for fast on Ash Wednesday, and the meaning of the Lenten season. Maybe that's because so many non-Poles have unwittingly bastardizd the term over the years. I think that any further corruption of the solemnity of the day--such as "art, music, bars, restaurants, parades" would make it an outright overcommercialized abomination.

For what it's worth, paczki are available in Poland year-round [[and make a terrific mid-afternoon snack :-) ).

**Jimaz** · March-09-11, 02:55 PM

Darn. I missed out. I opened the door to the bakery and it was wall-to-wall pączki fans. I couldn't wait that long. What did I expect on Pączki Day? <smacks forehead> They should declare a second Pączki Day for the overflow demand.

It was kind of funny though. It was like the scene from Duck, You Sucker! where the bank robbers keep blasting open vaults expecting to find gold but instead find them packed with surprised political prisoners.

All this talk about pączki dredged up an old memory of beignets in New Orleans. Are there many places around Detroit that sell beignets?

**piczka** · March-09-11, 04:10 PM

Looking at Detroit News photos of Paczki day in Hamtramck I don't see any people with HIJABS standing in line. Where did all the natives go? Are paczki halal and NA?

**jackie5275** · March-09-11, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by ghettopalmetto

...Maybe that's because so many non-Poles have unwittingly bastardizd the term over the years. I think that any further corruption of the solemnity of the day--such as "art, music, bars, restaurants, parades" would make it an outright overcommercialized abomination.

For what it's worth, paczki are available in Poland year-round [[and make a terrific mid-afternoon snack :-) ).

Hey GP, it seems to me that having Paczki Day continue on into the afternoon & evening with music & bars in Hamtramck is a blend of eating paczki in the morning & partying like it's Mardi Gras up here later in the day. I saw photos of Hamtramck events yesterday on the Freep website. A number of them were taken in some bar with folks dressed for Mardi Gras decked out in green, gold, & purple and buried in beads.

I've seen paczki available year-round at New Palace & the Hamtramck location of the Polish Market.

**Fury13** · March-10-11, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by Vox

This is the last year I participate in this. The quality of the paczki in Hamtramck has plummeted to all time lows. Uneven quality, lack of fillings, and pathetic sugar dusting [[as mentioned by ghettopalmetto) has rendered them largely unpalatable. It is a shame, but this whole thing has jumped the shark.

Srodek's are glazed, and obviously made with lots of eggs, butter and vanilla. The dough is not overly sweet and the texture is "right." Not just powdered-sugar-bombs at all.

DetroitPole · March-11-11, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

Paczki Day is a horrible, money-grabbing development. It must have grown out of the immanent self-denial of the faithful of eggs and sweets during Lent. But if you aren't keeping Lent, what's the point of just stuffing yourself with cheap pie fillings in sweet dough? They taste terrible. Sad that our big claim to fame would be with yucky, gross oozing pastry. And really what else is Paczki Day? Any art, music, bars, restaurants, parades? Anything?

I can't wait until it dies.

And for real Poles the celebration iof Polish heritage is on March 19 - St. Joseph's Day.

I don't really care for the Paczki part, just because they're so unhealthy, and because people here use it as an opportunity to gorge themselves on them. We are a fat region, and it makes us look even fatter and grosser.

Mardi Gras is not really a religious holiday. I don't really blame anyone for hi-jacking anything. My complaint was that Hamtramck bars were rather dead this year. I expected a fun, festival atmosphere. Instead there were just groups of rather angry drunks hunkered down in the corners of the bars. Does anybody in this region know how to have fun?? New Orleans has Mardi Gras, and virtually ever Latin country has Carnaval, and we have some oversized donuts for the obese of our region and belligerently wasted alcoholics in dive bars? It is a real drag.

If anything I wish Fat Tuesday were more irreverent, if that could make it any more fun. Now, what I do have a problem with are people who do not celebrate Lent in a religious sense using it as a second New Years resolution. Unlike Fat Tuesday, Lent is a religious season, and I think it would be just as offensive if non-practicing Americans started using Ramadaan as a diet.

GUSHI · March-11-11, 04:40 PM

I'm all for it, its a tradtion. I grew up in the area, i'm not Polish, but some of my best childhood memories are going w/ my dad and getting a Paczki befre going to St. Lad's for school. It also help Hamtramck businesses, If you can't stop at one or two, thats a personal problem. It's once a year, alot of people who would go to Hamtramck on fat Tuesday, wouldn't go the rest of the year.

**RickBeall** · March-11-11, 09:04 PM

>> yucky, gross oozing pastry. And really what else is Paczki Day? Any art, music, bars, restaurants, parades? Anything?
>> we have some oversized donuts for the obese of our region and belligerently wasted alcoholics in dive bars

Don't you hate it when people walk all over your traditions?

**Yooper** · March-11-11, 09:16 PM

They're selling like *cough* hotcakes in the UP too!

http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/...aspx?id=417140

One store alone in Marquette sold 14,000 this year.

GUSHI · March-11-11, 10:12 PM

then dont FKN eat them, no one is forcing you,

Originally Posted by RickBeall

>> yucky, gross oozing pastry. And really what else is Paczki Day? Any art, music, bars, restaurants, parades? Anything?
>> we have some oversized donuts for the obese of our region and belligerently wasted alcoholics in dive bars

Don't you hate it when people walk all over your traditions?