Lundi Gras

Last night Richard Bonomo, Anna Banana II, Jilly Moose, and I went to a German restaurant for their monthly smorgasbord: meat, meat, and more meat. Rich was in meat heaven, and Jilly Moose was in German heritage heaven. I mostly ate the spaetzle, which of course nobody has to give up for Lent, unless you specifically give up spaetzle. (Too late, I already decided to give up ePlush.) There was an oompah band playing and little kids dancing to them, and the waitresses wore dirndls. A great way to say “goodbye” to pigging out for the next forty days!

Here is a story to prepare you for Lent: when Italian monks first arrived in Spain, they learned from the natives how to brew beer and acquired a real taste for it. As Lent approached, they thought of beer’s ingredients and could see no reason they would have to give it up, but they decided to defer to the Pope in this matter and sent him a barrel of beer with their question. The Pope, who was used to sweet wine, took one sip of the beer and wrote back that they could drink as much of it as they liked during Lent with his blessing, it was a wonderful form of penance.

Next week on Famous Hat: the short, difficult lives of the Proto-Teabaggers, who had to have plow pulls because tractors hadn’t been invented yet. And maybe another tale from the Sock Puppet League. So watch for that.

Famous Hat