Family Time: Pancake Sunday

Pancakes are one of my all-time favourite feeds.  The first mouthful of cakey fluffiness, dripping with butter and maple syrup is comfort food at its finest!  The alchemy of simple flour, egg & milk,  stirred in a mixing bowl, and in no time at all, transformed into delicious sustenance!

Considering how often a version of the pancake appears internationally, it must be popular with many besides myself:  Japanese dorayaki, French crepes, Korean Pajeon, Peruvian arepas,  to name a few.  At a superficial glance, these are street foods or simple home concoctions for using up leftovers.  And yet, with some creativity and genius, these homegrown soul foods become culinary magic.  Whether simple or dressed up, pancakes are much beloved all over the world.

One of Older Daughter’s favourite books when she was a toddler was “In the Rain with Baby Duck” by Amy Hest.  Baby was on her way to Pancake Sunday at Grandpa’s, a Duck family tradition.  But it is raining, and Baby ironically hates rain.

“Wet face” Baby pouted.  “Water in my eyes” ….Mud,” muttered Baby. “Mud, mud, mud!”

This bit always cracked us up!  We liked the idea that they were off to spend Pancake Sunday with Grandpa;  it was obviously a cherished tradition for them. Baby, despite the rain, was still very much anticipating the occasion.

We don’t have Pancake Sundays, but we do have our version of family time which we eagerly plan, relish & cherish.  It could be a Food Adventure (trying out a new restaurant or a new food), Cultural exploration (a museum visit or learning something new, eg. paper quilling), or Home Traditions ( like Sushi Saturday, Games Galore, and Netflix Night).  It is a time for us to gather, eat and play together. The activities will hopefully be enjoyable to all, but the main focus is to celebrate our togetherness.

What does your version of Pancake Sunday look like?