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Carnival Donuts


Dear members and constituents
Life seems full of contrasts. Some natural, some man-made. Drought in the Southwest, two feet of snow in the Northeast. Famine in Africa, an obesity crisis in the US. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Adam Lanza of Newtown. This coming week we have Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. The excesses of carnival leading-up to the sacrifices of Lent. As folks work their way to Mardi Gras, the traditional carnival celebrations themselves show a rich diversity. From doubloons and beads to the various escolas de samba to masquerades and balls. The traditions can vary within a country. Did you know only Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have the escolas de samba? Despite being a tiny country, Ecuador has several regional variances in how the holiday is observed. In Ambato they throw flower petals at you, in Guaranda it’s flour and jelly, whereas in Cuenca the preferred thing to throw your way are water balloons. We also prepare a rich soup called Mote Pata (if you’re curious, you can swing-by my home this Saturday –don’t worry, we did not import the “getting wet” part of the tradition). This morning, in the spirit of this excess-filled weekend, Nino Mecevic makes his debut in the Friday Donut Club with five dozen donuts. So come on by and grab more than your fair share. You can always make-up for it next week.
Happy Friday!

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