Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for March 19, 2022

No corned beef leftovers for Elvis, but the zeppoles look mighty tasty!

If they are for people, cats must try them and decide if they should steal them. Will they fit under a refrigerator?

Gotta love how the way we choose to honor our saints usually involves drinking, partying, or eating junk food.

I want one.

As long as there’s no fruit filling, that looks so tasty. Unfortunately, I’m way over on the other side of the country.

Puck’s chart makes up for lack of toe beans today.

As a Portuguese person with family in East Providence when is Malasada Day?

I’ve never heard of Zeppoles, but that chart makes them look yummy!

Loath as I am to correct a kitty-cat, “begging the question” is NOT the same as raising a question. (Look it up if you need to.) But the error is becoming so common nowadays I fear it will eventually make it into the dictionaries, much as how “snuck” has displaced “sneaked” in my lifetime. Of course English is free to evolve, but not always for the better.

It’s the whipped cream that the cats want.

They’re yummy. When I was growing up, we had a neighbour who made her own every year, and shared them with the rest of the people on the street.

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/st-josephs-day-eat-zeppole/

Ah yes, the proud New England tradition of shooing the cats away.

They do seem interesting.

Everything’s better with a jaunty cherry hat!

So where are the Groucholes, Chicoles, Haroples, and Gummoles?

This,’ New Yawker’, has never heard of a, Zeppole…and the only St. Joseph I know, makes aspirin! ; ) (Google, here I come! )

I’ve never encountered a Zeppole, but if they’re anything like other seasonal treats I suspect their time of availability moves further from March 19 every year. I’m sure I saw hot cross buns a few days after Christmas (and why not, they’re yummy).

Welll…looks veeery tempting. (Slobber!) But – a warning – if you suffer from diabetes issues you really shouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot (Zep)pole…

Guess zeppoles are mostly a New England or Rhode Island tradish? As it’s an Italian pastry, I’m surprised it isn’t known in NYC. They do look really yum!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppole

Thanks for the info, Puck. They look delicious!

While I wasn’t born and raised in Massachusetts, I have lived here for almost 20 years now and I’ve never heard of zeppoles until now. Guess it’s Rhode Island’s best kept secret!

Leprechaun trap, includes great photos of Ora. Be sure to click through all of them.

https://dumpor.com/c/3623598216035316972

Meanwhile, Back on the Nile

Burt-Ra: We broke through to the passageway. Great job, crew.

Puckmosis: Thank you, gang. Duffy, would you like to take the first look?

Duffy: Don’t mind if I do. (Going in) Oh, there are some lovely gems and jewels of all kinds. Any leprechaun would be proud to have them in their Pot O’ Gold.

Beatrixia: Help yourself, but leave some for prizes for the Senior Cat Bridge Tournament.

Clio: Hmmm…This is a pretty big room. How about if my swarm and I have a look around around.

Puckmosis: Please, by all means.

Some Time Later

Clio: We’ve found something! There appears to be a secret door on the rear wall.

Burt-Ra: We’ll have that open in an instant.

Puckmosis: Clio, why don’t you and your swarm take the first look with our honored guest.

A Bit Later

Duffy: Amazing. There are shelves after shelves of scrolls. There seems to be some kind of writing on each shelf.

Beatrixia: They must be organized according to some system. It looks like there’s a series of drawers here too. It’s a scroll catalog!

Puckmosis: I bet Violet-Ifa can help with that.

Beatrixia: I can’t wait to get started!

So Elvis acts as a distraction in order for the other cats to sneak in and grab a zeppole?

I hate to point this out, but “zeppole” is plural. The singular is “zeppola.” Pluralizing Italian with an “s” – like when some people say “raviolis” – grates me ears.

I do appreciate the St. Joseph’s Day reference though. In NYC, I associate them with San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples, which warrant a week-long street fair in Little Italy every September.

How the tables turn. Just a day after being offered leftovers, the more traditional ceremonial cat shooing resumes. It seems to happen on many holidays. Also, could someone please explain this? Although I have never heard of them, Puck’s chart makes reasonably clear what a zeppole is. Why March 19th though, and how widespread is this tradition?

Despite living in New England for most of my life, I was completely unfamiliar with St. Joseph’s Day and the traditional pastries until I went to grad school in Providence. It’s very much a RI thing, like coffee milk.

Never heard of them but they do sound delicious!

Now this is a pastry I never heard of. Looked it up, and sounds YUMMY!

A long overdue chart!

I prefer fresh made Italian Bakery cannoli (not all cannoli are created equally) as I only get either of them once or twice a year – it’s a tough choice – a cannoli or a zeppole?? OK, I usually have both. :)

Oh, to be at my parents-in-law today!!! They live in a largely Italian area of Vaughn (slightly north of Toronto), and there are three Italian bakeries within a 10-minute (okay, 15 for me) walk from their house. I have bought zeppole by the dozen and we have gorged happily on them, and then I went and bought more to bring home to Barrie.

Georgia should not tempt us with delicious pastries if she didn’t draw enough for everyone! :)

The bakery in my Rochester, NY neighborhood makes both Zeppoli and Sfingi. Both have a puff pastry base, Zeppoli have pastry cream inside, Sfingi have marscapone canoli cheese inside. We consume far too many Sfingi each year.

Or using ‘amount" when referring to count nouns—it’s the NUMBER of trees, not amount!

Urgh… and now I need to find a recipe! LOL!

St. Joseph is also patron saint of the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. Red beer and kolaches (open-faced fruit or meat pastries) today.

Looks like a rather tasty little “flying saucer”.

I have never heard of zeppoles, but now I want one!

MMMM looking good from way over in MN….never had one.

OT: @rs0204 & Dr. Hamilton

Ah, yes, the traditional “shooing of the cats” (not to be confused with Feline Footwear Day).

I’ll pass. But Sfingi, now, those sound truly delicious.

Italian doughnuts sometimes with fancy decorations like Puck’s chart. Use cream puff dough.

Has anybody seen an update about @noreenklose?

Another proud New England tradition I never heard of! Why live in Rhode Island, Maine, and Connecticut if I’m not going to know these things?

Our language has taken such a beating in the last couple of years, I’m going to start saying “aint”`

“Snuck” drives me nutz.

I have lived in New England my whole life (60 years) I’ve never heard of this. It must be a very localized thing, RI only.

Yay ! St. Joseph Feast Day…Today would have been my Dad,Michael, 110 Birthday….and I miss him Every Single Day…. I love you ‘Giddoo’…. have a zeppole with Mom in Heaven for Me !……. k

Well, zeppole-do-dah!

OT: Prayers and Positivity Please

I finally found St Gertrude patron Saint of cats and indeed her feast day is March 17

So on March 19th all Rhode Islanders are Italian?

I’d never heard of Zappole, which surprises me, given the number of southern Italians and Sicilians in San Francisco. Why have we been deprived of this yummy? Will have to research!

To @rs: i made your recipe for corned beef hash tonight. Hubby loved it and asked for another serving. I hope you can eat something besides a liquid diet right now. We toasted you at supper. Your Hamilton should investigate a chef in his debut mystery novel. Then you can include recipes. Biskits

Hey, investigate Bobby Flay!! ( fictionally of course! ). Then Nacho and Stella can be Hamilton’s inside informants who provide the notes that Michael Simon did it. Or did he??

Symon.

I’m from New England – never heard of them.

OT: Went to the Pet Expo in Chantilly VA today. They even had a cat show. Alas, most of the cat people there had never heard of Breaking Cat News or Georgia Dunn. I did a lot of educating! One of the show cat’s person is an artist and was selling some beautiful Ukraine United sweatshirts, t-shirts and onesies. Half of the sale price was to help Ukrainian Refugees.