Pancake Day

I am a die-hard Tokyoite.  I have spent over 17 years of my life exploring the concrete jungle.  I cheer on the local baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants, (when they are not playing my father’s team, the Hanshin Tigers), and know the steps to the Tokyo Ondo, the traditional regional dance.

However, my American side is from New Orleans, and Mardi Gras has always been a big deal to my partially Cajun family.  While I have not yet had the opportunity to experience carnival season in The Big Easy, I have always had people nearby who celebrate it in some way, whether it be my mother waving around a handkerchief and second line dancing in the living room, or my USC peers attending Mardi Gras themed parties.

Mardi Gras is not celebrated here--or at least not in Coventry.  Frankly, this just seems wrong to me, so to fill the void caused by the lack festivity, I have been listening to tunes like Iko Iko, Mardi Gras Mambo, and Do Whatcha Wanna Part 3 non-stop for the last few days.  Today I plan on donning my purple woolen sweater and eating all of the chocolate I can get my hands on.

Instead of attending King Cake parties and watching Mardi Gras parades, folks here partake in Shrove Tuesday by flipping pancakes to use up fatty foods, like butter, before the Lenten fasting begins.  I guess it is considered Fat Tuesday here, too.  Pancake Day, as today is also known, is similarly celebrated in France according to my roommate.  Since I am in England, eating chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast seems only appropriate for my chocolate-filled day.

While it is typical for students in England to prepare their own food in the dorm kitchens, there are also a variety of eateries on campus from cafes to pubs.  There is even a convenience store within a three minute walk from my room.  I do not want to buy the perishable ingredients necessary to make my own pancakes, especially since our five-week Easter Break begins soon, so I am hoping to purchase pre-made pancakes somewhere.

Researching online for places that sell pancakes at Warwick led me to an interesting experiment: Dr. Mark Hadley at the University of Warwick found the equation for the perfect pancake toss.  I was 14 years old the last time I sat in a physics class, so I am (obviously) by no means an expert in the field, but Hadley explains his findings in a way that even I can understand.  

Long story short, one should consider a lot of variables when flipping pancakes and none of the eateries here that are open for breakfast serve them.  I might have to venture off campus for my chocolate pancake fix.  Please keep your fingers crossed that I find a way to have them.

Lastly, take a page from THESE NOPD officers and laissez les bon temps roule!

Update: the Warwick Student Union Facebook page just posted information on where to find pancakes today--The Dirty Duck pub and XANANAS restaurant!