Got it now ...
Actually, the story is that Lydia's grandmother and mother used to make St. Joseph's PASTA very similar to this ... http://www.recipezaar.com/70130

The pasta has a very UNIQUE flavor to say the least, and an acquired taste to eat it ... I used to tell her grandmother that St. Joseph never ate anything like that ...

When our son-in-law was dating our daughter my mother-in-law made the pasta for St. Joseph's Day and told our (then) prospective s-i-l that it was a 'rite of passage' and a sign of a man's love to eat the pasta ... he ate two helpings ... the next year when they were married, he said he would never eat it again !!! ...

As for the zeppole, yes, there are LOTS, but there is no problem eating them ...
t.