MILWAUKEE — National Bakery in Milwaukee prepared 35,000 paczki for Fat Tuesday. The owners knew Milwaukeeans love pacski. But, do they love it enough to know how to spell the word? Turns out not so much.
I asked a few people to spell the Polish sweet treat and here is what they came up with: punchki, packi, packzi, and some just didn't even want to try.
Now to be fair, those were pretty close guesses. While the ability to spell the word is weak, the passion for pacski is as strong as ever.
Kenny Lovas arrived at National Bakery at 4:45 a.m. That's a whole hour and fifteen minutes before the doors opened.
“It’s Fat Tuesday. It’s a tradition and I will do this as long as the lord lets me. I’ve been doing it for 30 years, and I’ll keep doing it.”
He’s not doing this just for the jelly-filled deliciousness, but for the joy it brings people.
“To bring smiles to peoples faces, 'cause a lot of these that I take are for people that can’t get here anymore. And to see someone smile in today’s world makes it - makes me smile.”
Outside of the gluttony, the true spirit of Paczki Day is picking up a few dozen treats for your friends, family, and co-workers.
Editor's Note: This editor has no qualms with spelling in this report.
