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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that making American pancakes today is wrong?

86 replies

WazFlimFlam · 13/02/2018 11:08

Disclaimer: I am a Brit who grew up in the UK with an American father. We had American pancakes with bacon and maple syrup most weekends, long before that became a 'thing'. And long, long before it became a hipster thing.

I like them. They are ok. But they aren't the be all and end all. Even for a child. And the one day of the whole fucking year, when I could have proper, English, crepe-like (iyswim) pancakes was on Shrove Tuesday. I loved them, still love them, think they are fab.

And yet, my social media is awash with pictures of stacks of American pancakes (which are only really eaten like that in cartoons) covered in maple syrup. Yummy, but why today of fucking all days.

Not only are people doing it wrong but they seem to think there is something, edgy, clever and almost cosmopolitan from making the wrong pancakes today. Why do people do this?

OP posts:

ScattyCharly · 13/02/2018 11:44

I made American pancakes today for my dc.

The dc like the thick ones better, as do I.

It’s just pancake day, I was not aware of any UK/American thin/thick style rules. I made what we like.

But I did not post them on social media!

Youshallnotpass · 13/02/2018 11:45

What the? YABU

American fluffy pancakes are infinitely nicer than the tosh pancakes the UK seems to eat today. We will be having American style ones tonight.

viques · 13/02/2018 11:46

just remembered I bought a bottle of maple syrup in lidl last week, and I have lemons so pancakes will be either , neither or both tonight! yippee.

And every year I think to myself why don't I make pancakes more often, then promptly forget about them ............

reluctantbrit · 13/02/2018 11:48

We have both. Thin ones for breakfast and buttermilk ones with chocolate chip and cream for dinner.

So what. I like both but the American ones are quite time consuming to make so it is a treat in our house.

MsHarry · 13/02/2018 11:49

You're right OP. I make American style pancakes during the year for my DCs but on Shrove Tuesday it has to be' proper' pancakes with lemon and sugar that can be flipped in the air!

happystrummer · 13/02/2018 11:54

I love my American pancakes and scandalize both sides of my family by having them with Bovril.

I think that should actually be illegal

Stringofpearls · 13/02/2018 11:55

Agreed, but also French crepes, if done properly, are not the same as English pancakes. English pancakes are slightly thicker and are cooked on both sides in a frying pan with oil. Crepes are thinner and are traditionally (but not always) cooked only on one side with butter in a crepe pan with a spreader. All taste good, but for me pancake day is for pancakes!!

NauticalDisaster · 13/02/2018 11:56

YABU. you are wrong believing that what you like is English when it is actually French.

ChikiTIKI · 13/02/2018 11:57

I prefer American ones but don't really mind either way. As long as I don't have to watch someone pour orange juice over theirs before they eat it.... Bleugh! Now that really baffles me. Just why do people do that?! I wouldn't pour a Coke over my chips and don't see how that's any different!

Kismett · 13/02/2018 11:59

I don't know many Americans who grew up eating pancakes every weekend. It's always been an occasional thing for us.

I'm a bit off pancakes now, tried some "American" ones the other day and they weren't quite right. Couldn't finish them. Probably better off making them at home!

WonderLime · 13/02/2018 11:59

YABBU.

I love buttermilk pancakes with whipped butter, maple syrup and bacon (or sausage meat) but I make those for Sunday brunch. Crepes all the way for Shrove Tuesday (though I'm making them savoury so not sure if that also breaks Pancake Day etiquette).

EconoWife · 13/02/2018 11:59

Eh?

Crepes are French! And occassionally German from one of those stalls at Christmas time...

Proper pancakes are drop scones with butter and jam or sprinkled with lemon and sugar - smaller and denser than American pancakes I suppose but still much more similar to those than crepes.

Anyway, there are far more Christians in the USA than the UK and I presume they observe lent too...

MsHarry · 13/02/2018 12:01

Cooked mine with coconut oil this morning. Was great and added nice semi sweet flavour.

MsHarry · 13/02/2018 12:01

Dutch love a pancake too and have several pancake houses.

UnimaginativeUsername · 13/02/2018 12:02

Scotch and American pancakes are basically the same thing (although the American ones tend to be bigger in diameter). They’re much nicer than English pancakes.

It’s another MN the whole UK is assumed to be English and anything else is just ‘Americanisation’ thing. We get the Halloween flavour of this in the autumn, the ‘santa’ version at Christmas and the pancake version now.

UnicornMadeOfPinkGlitter · 13/02/2018 12:02

Yanbu we have American style pancakes all year round. Its a once or twice a month treat on a sunday morning, thanks to either Costco's mix or going out for brunch at some hipster wanker style American diner Lots of which have sprung up in the last couple of years.. Also the lovely Bill's sell big fluffy pancake in a nice stack.

But Shrove Tuesday should be thin pancakes made at home with either sugar and lemon or golden syrup, no fancy maple syrup or fancy toppings! I don't even let the dc use nutella on them on shrove Tuesday. Tradition all the way.

I'm giving up sugar for lent so stuffing my face today with full sugar coke, doughnuts and colin the caterpillar jelly sweets

chatwoo · 13/02/2018 12:02

I've eaten the thin pancakes for 41 years (well maybe not in every one of those years). I fancied a change and chose to make the fluffy pancakes of which you speak.

I got the recipe from the mumsnet front page

DryHeave · 13/02/2018 12:03

I’ve always been served pancakes in stacks of three when I’ve had them in the US?

theEagleIsLost · 13/02/2018 12:03

I thought the same as Stringofpearls French crepes were thinner and cooker slightly differently to traditional English pancakes.

Even THE Sun knows they are different:

www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/2975715/american-style-pancakes-french-crepes-english-recipe-ideas/

GooodMythicalMorning · 13/02/2018 12:03

You are right. It's not the same.

Theclockstruck2 · 13/02/2018 12:04

YANBU people making American pancakes today are missing the point. And lemon and sugar is only topping!!!

MsHarry · 13/02/2018 12:05

I think it depends on what you have associated with shrove Tuesday as a child. If you had American, Scotch or English or French then that's what you'll associate with and return to.

UnimaginativeUsername · 13/02/2018 12:05

I’m going to make kimchi pancakes for dinner. And I might make Japanese style soufflé pancakes for dessert. Just to be different.

UnimaginativeUsername · 13/02/2018 12:05

French crepes are nicer than English pancakes.

English pancakes are at the bottom of the pancake hierarchy.

RaeCJ82 · 13/02/2018 12:06

YANBU, we often have the American style ones for breakfast, but I only ever make the crepe style pancakes on pancake day and I absolutely love them. It wouldn't be as much of a treat to just have the American style ones.

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