In many parts of the world, today is Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, one last day of whooping it up and eating before the abstemious fast of Lent. In the UK it's Shrove Tuesday, and nobody can remember what Shrove means. Secularly, it's known as Pancake Day - that's the limit of our whooping it up and eating - a pile of pancakes. And in my tradition, pancakes should be somewhere between the thick stuff Americans pour maple syrup over and a French-style crepe.
So we don't really do parties for this, it's a time at home for pancakes, sugar and lemon in front of the telly. But I had a more exciting Mardi Gras experience one, back in March 2011. I happened to be spending about 24 hours in Milwaukee on a month-long journey, coast to coast that was dipping all over the place. I'd just come in on a train from Seattle that had taken about 50 hours and the next day I would set off southwards for Austin, but this one day I was in the home of the Fonz and Happy Days!
My friend Tracy came and picked me up from the train station. I was staying in her basement that night, that's all I knew. But within a few minutes of driving through Downtown Milwaukee, she said "You don't have to do this, but would you like to come to a Mardi Gras party tonight?" and then without a beat, without waiting for my response "It's at my church?".
How could I refuse? And so my only real Mardi Gras party in the USA (ever!) was at a friendly little Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. It was amazing. There was fabulous food, candy galore, lots of laughter and home-made music. Tracy played the drums!
I had a fabulous time, met some quite evangelical young Lutherans and some who were a bit calmer about sharing their faith. We danced, shared beads, ate King cake and generally whopped it up in the least sinful way you can imagine. I even got a tattoo! Unfortunately it rubbed off on my pillow during the night, but for an evening I walked around looking totally badass (in my imagination at least)