Pancakes for Days

Well it turns out that pancakes get their own day here.

I watched about three or four morning shows this morning and all of them had someone on with an apron on and a skillet in hand getting ready to make pancakes. I thought the first was just kind of lame. I mean, they're pancakes. Buy the Aunt Jemima mix.

Then came the second. Sadly, I thought it was a coincidence. Okay, I thought, today seems to be the day that all Australian morning shows decided to showcase pancake chefs. I performed an Internet search anyway. It turns out today really is the day for pancakes.

Pancake Day, or Pancake Tuesday, is another term for Shrove Tuesday, which, according to the highly reliable Wikipedia, comes from the word "shrive" meaning to confess your sins and say a hundred Hail Marys and all that. The day precedes Ash Wednesday.

Because Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and basically when you can't eat anything enjoyable for forty days (I didn't have to look this one up being the formerly good Catholic I am), Shrove Tuesday is when the people go through their cupboards and get all the eggs and flour and anything else that can lead to a smile on your face. And what can you get from these ingredients? Generally? Well, pancakes, of course.

And so all the morning shows were making pancakes and crepes and whatever else, and they were wearing UnitingCare Pancake Day aprons to commemorate bring attention to the Uniting Church's work of helping Australians in need.

When I went to sleep last night, I had no idea there was such a thing. Now I do. And I also know, now, that Lent begins tomorrow. Lent to me means See's Candies and its chocolate Easter eggs. I will be there the day I land in L.A. next month.