MIDDLETOWN &mdash Last year, John Lang came in second place in Meijer’s annual paczki eating competition.
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, Lang was in the winner’s circle at the Middletown store. Lang, a Middletown resident who works at the store, ate four paczki (pronounced punch-key), filled jelly doughballs, in two minutes for charity. He along with five others tried to eat six of the pastries, filled with various jellies or cream, within the time limit at the cafe at the Meijer store, which has hosted the Fat Tuesday event for the eighth year. The competition is from a Polish tradition to eat all of the sugar, eggs, fruit and lard before the start of Lent. The competitors also had water to help them get the paczkis down quicker. However, they were warned not to squeeze out the fruit fillings. Lang said he was encouraged by fellow worker Jeff Delph, a four-time winner of the local competition who four years ago had eaten eight paczkis in a minute and a half.
Lang said he dunked his four Bavarian cream paczkis in water and ate them.