Whip me up a pancake!
MILLIE: One of my “feel good” or “pamper me” dishes is a good, old-fashioned pancake. Yes, that thin, flat, round cake made of flour, milk, and eggs, cooked on a hot griddle and served with butter and syrup. I love it plain and simple — buttermilk, it’s called — and I adore spreading not just whipped butter but peanut butter as well, topped with a giant swirl of maple syrup. Drool! I enjoy it for breakfast and, in fact, make excuses to have breakfast meetings at my favorite Pancake House.
As a young girl, I remember whipping up pancakes until the lumps would smoothen out, scooping up a ladleful of batter, and pouring it on a hot, old-fashioned iron griddle to cook. I’d watch the bubbles form and would be eager to flip the pancakes to see how perfect and golden brown my pancake would be. And when they were not, I’d hide them under the stack that was ready to serve.
KARLA: As mom mentioned, Pancake House is one of our favorite places to meet or have a quick and comforting breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner. Mom and I frequent the branches so often that we can tell if they have a new crewmember or if they have just been rotated. We usually eat there when mom wants something and I feel like having something else. She enjoys the coffee there and sometimes sends the driver to buy takeout when she is at the beauty parlor. Most times I have the Filipino breakfast items or a combination of albondigas and taco, which sounds pretty weird but is actually good on a cold, rainy day and yet light enough to have merienda again by 4 p.m. Pancakes remind me of my lolo. He could have them at any time of day. As a kid, I still remember that there was a time when lolo could not get enough pancakes. He would sneak out of the office every merienda time to walk down to the Pancake House behind our building in Makati. Most times I would see him walking as I was entering the garage to hang out in mom’s office after school. Sometimes, he would even take me with him. He would always have a three-piece buttermilk pancake, which is now called Classic Pancake with crispy bacon on the side. He enjoyed pancakes so much that I even tried to cook for him one Sunday for breakfast. I was so little that I had to stand on a high stool just to see the inside of the pan, with the supervision of my yaya and cook, of course. I was so excited to cook for lolo that I got my hand burnt in the process. Never again did he ask me to make pancakes for him.
Beautiful pancake memories: Karla at the Peninsula Hong Kong with her lolo Joe Reyes When we went to Hong Kong, lolo, mom and I had breakfast at the Peninsula. I remember having a bowl of cereal. I can’t remember what mom ordered but I definitely remember that Lolo asked for pancakes. His order took so long and we kept following it up. Finally, it came with a silver cloche. As they unveiled the dish, we all burst out laughing. They served him a stack of crepes with no filling. Lolo was very disappointed, but it became a running joke between the three of us. Lola would sneak out for some pancakes, too. Sometimes she would pick me up from school and have merienda with me. She loved the spaghetti with garlic bread and would have the chocolate chip pancake with peanut butter for dessert.
MILLIE: Very few people know that the word “pancake” comes from the German words “pfanne,” meaning pan, and “kuchen,” meaning cake, and are made from potatoes.
In Centerville, Iowa, there is even a Pancake Day celebration with all-day fun and entertainment for adults and kids in pancake tents set up for the occasion. This year, it falls on Sept. 24 with a rock concert, a hip-hop dance, and a beauty pageant lined up, and gourmet pancakes are given for free!
There are variations of the pancake in many countries. In the USA and Canada, for instance, they are called hotcakes or flapjacks and are bigger and heavier in size.
In France, they are thinner and sweet and called crepes, but made with the same ingredients: milk, flour and eggs. In the French regions of Normandy and Brittany, these are called Breton galette and made with buckwheat flour and cooked only on one side. Scottish pancakes are scones made of the same ingredients as crumpets but are baked.
In the Netherlands, pancakes are called pannenkoeken and usually served at dinnertime with fillings such as ham, bacon, cheese, and sliced fruits served with molasses. Another Dutch pancake dish is called poffertjes, which are smaller in size and sweeter in taste.
The Pinoy bibingka is probably a derivative of the hotcake. I normally use Aunt Jemima or Pillsbury when making pancakes and the outcome is always tasty and fluffy. For syrup, maple syrup is the best, or Log Cabin. For some reason, friends who visit Canada always bring me home a leaf-shaped bottle of maple syrup. It’s always appreciated, knowing how heavy the bottles are. In the absence of that, a good substitute is honey, syrup or molasses. It’s the perfect breakfast, but I also have it for merienda or dessert.
When my dad was confined at Medical City, my siblings and I were nourished day and night at Pancake House, located on the ground floor. It was our home away from home. We would converge in a quiet corner at the end of the day to discuss Dad’s condition. We accumulated enough receipts to earn an orange card that would reward us for our patronage.
The orange loyalty card is valid at Teriyaki Boy, Le Coeur de France, Sizzling Pepper Steak, Dencio’s, Kabisera ng Dencio’s or Loop. Some time ago, I realized my orange card was missing and I tried to go back to all the places I usually frequent to see if I had left it there. In mid-August, I received an e-mail from Orange Card announcing my total accumulated points and giving instructions about redeeming my rewards. I e-mailed back that I had misplaced my Orange Card and inquired about getting a replacement. A standard reply was sent, instructing me to fill up a form and pay a processing fee of P150. I e-mailed back, arguing that the card was probably not returned to me by one of the stores I frequented. So I named all the outlets that I usually visit. Within four days, I received an e-mail announcing that they had traced the location of my Orange Card and asking where it could be delivered to me. Within a few minutes, I got my Orange Card back. Now, that’s what I call service. As a restaurateur, I’m impressed that they took my query quite seriously and expeditiously and provided positive results to please the customer. Going out of their way produced total customer satisfaction.
KARLA: Pancakes and Pancake House always remind me of family. This is probably because we have so many memories built around it and dining there is a welcome treat indeed.
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Send e-mail to milliereyes.foodforthought@gmail.com and karla@swizzlemobilebar.com. Find us on Facebook and read articles you might have missed: Food for Thought by Millie & Karla Reyes.
