After living here now seventeen months, I thought perhaps my list of Strange Things was ready for retirement, as nothing really surprises me like it used to. That was until today, when I came home to six girls in my kitchen making huge batches of crêpes for lunch. That's right it's.....

#46: Pancake Day!

I was raised Christian pretty much by default and only went to church about four times (sorry Mum), so a lot of rituals escape me. I know there's Mardi Gras, Lent, and Easter and that's about it. Apparently in this country, Fat Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday, something I vaguely recall hearing before, but also it is know as Pancake Day. Which is celebrated by, yup, eating pancakes. Someone first told me it had to do with The War, but no these pancakes just contain ingredients that you are not supposed to have during Lent. So you eat what you have left in pancake form before the deadline.

Anyone who knows me knows that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and I will in fact eat breakfast food throughout the day. Living in Britain therefore is really rough in this aspect, as American breakfast is quite different especially for a vegetarian. Typical Brit breakfast is what? beans, toast, mushrooms, eggs, bangers, bacon all fried up in one pan. Nasty! American breakfast foods I long for include waffles, biscuits, omelets, grits, hashbrowns, and of course pancakes.

So thought I hit the jackpot but no. These are basically crêpes! You add lemon and sugar I guess and it seems more a desert. Not the thick, chewy, starchy American pancakes, with butter and maple syrup. Such a shame.