The Pancake Debate

How do you make your pancakes? Like thin crepe wannabes or like thick, hearty, American PANCAKES? What do you put on top? Jelly, butter, or maple syrup? Your answeres to these questions dictate how I think about you and your culture and determine if we can be friends or not.

Ok, but jokes aside, how did you grow up eating the famous pancake? This is still a hot topic of discussion between my boyfriend and I. The first time we made pancakes together was definetely a shock to both of us, as we assumed what we grew up with was, well, what pancakes were. When Silas volunteered to make the pancakes for that morning, however, I immediately noticed signs that something was a little off. First of all, the batter was super thin, almost water consistency. I told him this and he was just confused. He explained that he had been making pancakes a long time, and he knew what a good batter looked like. However, I insisted on adding more flour to the mix. He obliged at first, but then refused after it started looking like MY pancake batter. He added more milk and said “trust me”.

So I sat down and let him work. At some point I took a look in the pan and saw what looked like crepes. “These aren’t right!” I exclaimed. Silas: “What do you mean? How do you make pancakes in the U.S.?”. And that is how it started, our ever growing debate about how we should make pancakes on our Saturday mornings together. Usually it starts with the “German or American today?” question and follows with stories about our pancake days growing up. You can see the pancakes for yourself here:

Me, proudly displaying my pancakes (regular and chocolate)

They aren’t as thick as my dad’s but they are closer to the American (I eye balled the recipe)

Silas’s thinner pancakes

Oh, and if you are wondering, I do really enjoy Silas’s pancakes, and he does enjoy mine, but honestly, you can’t beat the memories that come with eating the pancakes of your childhood.

At the end of the day, the pancake debate is a lot like dating someone from a different culture. There WILL be things you disagree on, just like how to make pancakes or if you should cross the street or not when the light is red. There will be times when you think “Are we TOO different?”. In the end, however, dating someone from a different culture only broadens your horizons, challenges your thoughts and beliefs, and enriches your life so much. I speak from experience.

Silas, you have challenged my beliefs about pancakes and other things, and have taught me so much about German culture and about life. I am grateful for you every day, and I look forward to when we can have our next pancake debate. Ich liebe dich.

Until next time,

Abby