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I have to say that I do enjoy the Christian holidays in a different way than those of other religions. Even though I do not consider myself a Christian I did have a Christian upbringing with visits to the church, participation in the church youth club etc. I am also steeped in Christian values since it is the main religion of my culture. I do not believe that it has played a minor role in shaping who I am.
So I enjoy it because it is part of who I am. One could say that I connect emotionally to Christian traditions in a way I don’t when I celebrate other religions. When I celebrate other religions it is with curiosity and interest and maybe even with the hope that I might find something to believe in. But when I celebrate a Christian holiday it is with a certain comfort and recognition. When I learn new things about Christianity it confirms my experiences more than it teaches me something completely new. It explains some of my actions during holidays and gives them grounding. I now know why I have eaten so many of those Swedish buns that we call ‘semlor’. It all makes sense.

On Shrove Tuesday Mmedo made deep-fried apple rings for our celebration. Pancakes are more common but his batter has similar ingredients. In France, it is also the period of Carnivals, so we all dressed up for the occasion (in fact we just used burned cork to look like pirates).

Mix all ingredients apart from the egg whites until smooth. Rest in fridge for at least 1 hour. Wisk the egg whites to hard foam. Add to the batter just before frying. Dip the apple rings in the batter and fry. When ready sprinkle with sugar.