Snow!

It's not snowing here; it's bright and clear, but colder than a well-digger's arse.

HOORAY! It's very sunny here, but it is p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-pancake day so I'm happy! Let's declare today a day of joy and rampant glee on the abc threads!

British pancakes are rubbish: thin, flaccid, and flavourless. Hrmph.

yankee 'pancakes' aren't pancakes. They're rubbery squashed spongecake things

No AG - *you're* rubbish!

God, only a Brit would eat tuna and sweetcorn together. American pancakes ARE fat, but they have better teeth.

I'm sure it's tasty; I just can't get over the 'savoury pancake' idea, although I suppose crepes with mushroom cream sauce *are* nice. I couldn't bear to call them 'pancakes' though... For me, a pancake has to be about an inch thick, smothered with butter and real maple syrup. Preferably accompanied by some spicy sausage, a couple rashers of bacon, and an egg, fried, well-done, no runny stuff. This whole thing with lemon juice and powdered sugar is repulsive. It's just a cultural thing.

Snow, snow, everywhere! Hooray! AND it's pancake day! RESULT! British pancakes rubbish? No they ain't - they're great - lemon, sugar, and you get to roll 'em up, which you can't do with American ones. I am a fan of American pancakes too (maple syrup and the whole works), but I don't really see them as 'pancakes', more sort of spongy rounds... pancakes have to be flat (hence the saying), and flexible in a rolly kind of way. That's what makes Shrove Tuesday so much fun - the flipping. You can't flip an American pancake.

I like *all* types of pancakes - crepes? Yep, serve me up a foo of they, slathered in choc.

They have a crepe shop next to the cinema in the Castle mall now - and, I have to say, as a pre cinema treat they ain't bad.

NO! That's just grim. Get outta here. (tinned tuna is the food of Satan).

You absolutely *can* flip American pancakes. I'm quite adept at it. In fact, they're easier to flip than your limpid circles of flour... Now, span, cheese and bacon *does* sound nice...much better than tuna/sweetcorn...

I'll be able to tell I tells ya. Actually, I do love fresh tuna and seafood of everykind. Haddock and onion pancakes are a very tasty Italian delicacy. I don't even mind tinned tuna - just hate it mixed up with 'mayo' or 'salad cream' because that makes it taste worse. Bleurgh. Flipping American pancakes is possible, but not the same. There is no chance that it will land on your (or someone close to you's) head. I like it when pancakes 'land' otherwheres than the pan. You gotta admit, archer, that that is 'fun'...

This is true. When you flip a Yankcake, they tend to break open and blob out all over the place. Still, we Yanks are clearly missing out on this whole Pancake Day thing.

It would be the aftermess I'd worry about...

(put nutmeg and cloves in your pancake mix... oh you don't like it sweet do you span?) Okay - chives, leeks, tarragon and cheese. Nutmeg, black pepper a bit of parmesan in the batter. Nice. I used to make that when I was a chef and people seemed to like it.

WAHOO! SNOW!

"When I was a chef" - oh, Fergal, those words make me sad. We've got way too many people doing worthless jobs and way too many people scribbling naff poetry which no one wants to read - but giving up cheffing ... you can't have too many chefs, they're like nurses but nicer.

So my fellow pancake bitches....how many did you have? I only did 2 with lemon and raspberry sauce.

I hate to say it, being a lemon and sugar kinda gal, but Span is sooooo right on the tuna and sweetcorn thing - with onion and cheese it's delectable. Had two of those AND banana and chocolate. More two-course meals made entirely of pancakes please!

Just read this - Neil, I say 'when I was a chef', but I suppose what that meant was 'when I was *paid* to be a chef'... now I just cook all the time for fun, and that's even better.

I was a proper chef in a 4-star hotel in Seattle, once upon a time many years ago, tall white hat and everything. I wouldn't necessarily agree that chefs are nicer than nurses; not the ones I worked with! Stressed-out, heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, bad-tempered, arrogant...that's why I got out, that and the long hours and the obsession with 'presentation'. It got to the point where I'd rather slop a ladle of porridge into a bowl than sautee the shaved fennel to accompany the homemade lamb-and-rosemary sausage topped with blueberry coulis arranged artfully on a plate... Hope you guys enjoyed your limpid 'pancakes'! My son stuffed himself at the school pancake toss... now he's bugging me to make them. I suppose I'll have to capitulate... And where did this goshawful arctic weather come from? Cambridge got about two snowflakes, it's still sunny, but soooo cold.