Before I get ahead of myself, let me start by wishing you one and all a merry and joyous Pancake Day. As a fan of any food-related holiday, this one really hit close to home for us. Specifically it hit about four miles away, but it wasn’t bad since we drove.
Unlike its newer February cousin holiday of President’s Day, Pancake Day has a long, rich, doughy tradition dating back some six hundred years. And while I can’t be troubled to actually understand any day that falls on the calendar (least of all Mondays, those are never any good for me) I know all the info you could hope to find is at Wikipedia. You go read that, I’m going to keep ruminating on my pancake feast.
While many people may not think of it as a particularly valid holiday, it is enjoying a revival thanks to the fine folks at IHOP. Apparently they know pancakes; and I know that because they reintroduced me to the fine virtues of hotcakes, to commemorate this namesake holiday and they didn’t even charge a penny for them.*
But there’s more to Pancake Day at IHOP than gorging on hot, buttered discs of dough. There are also five kinds of syrup, and that alone made the trip worthwhile. I’m telling you, this Pancake Day fever has really got a hold on our great nation, and I think that’s pretty okay.
But why would they go through all the trouble? One big reason is to raise awareness for First Book, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to giving low-income families their child’s first book. I can’t imagine a world without books, and now I can’t imagine one without pancakes.
So show your good manners and graciously accept what you’re being offered – three free pancakes for Pancake Day. Oh, and while you’re there, check out the First Book literature. Some children are starving for knowledge, and that’s an empty pit even the fattest flapjack can’t fill.
* No, I’m totally serious. Throughout most of today, February 28th, 2006, IHOP is giving away a complimentary short stack of pancakes to every guest, even to short-stacks like me and my brothers.
