Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Malassada Day!

Click on photos to enlarge!


"Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders than the arguments of its opposers." William Penn


"Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it." William Penn

Carnaval Tonight in Honolulu!








Leonard's! Malassadas!




We got parking under the banner. . .
No line yesterday. . .






Almost our turn. . .





MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Special Note:

"I want all the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any."
Mahatma Gandhi
Congratulations to the great people of Mumbai, and ALL of INDIA for World's BEST PICTURE: Slumdog Millionaire!!! Well done!!!!
Well deserved!!




Aloha and Happy Malassada Day!
Wait - what's a malassada, you ask?
It only a warm, chewy, sweet, little ball of heaven, that's all!
On the day before Ash Wednesday and the long days of Lent, the devoutly Catholic Portuguese (who had been coming from the Azores to work on Hawaii's plantations since 1878) used up all their lard and sugar in one last blow out - no Portugee sweet bread (pao doce) till Easter! And so the Malassada was born. We still love them today. . .

Egg-sized balls of yeasty golden dough are deep-fried in oil then dusted generously with granulated sugar. No hole, no filling, NO PROBLEM!


Today few of us mortify the flesh in the traditional way, and malassadas are regularly available here in Hawaii. Even so, there will be lines today at the high church of malassadas: Leonards Bakery.


Damien Memorial High School will also be selling the pleasure bomb-lets, freshly fried from the cafeteria, in their parking lot from 6:30 to 11 am this morning: .70 cents a piece, $4 for 6, and 12 malassadas for $6.

The Pope set a date for Father Damien's canonization just days ago, so the spirit on campus is very high. However, rumors that this year's malassadas have a caloric dispensation from on high, or that they heal a number of minor physical ailments is probably just clever marketing.


Father Damian gave his life to serve the Hansen's disease (leprosy) patients incarcerated on the Molokai peninsula of Kalaupapa, ultimately contracting the disease himself. Now that IS a saint!

So treat yourself to a sugary indulgence today if you dare. Then burn off calories by doing something positive, whatever that may be for you. . .
A L O H A Cloudia