Perceptions of Pancakes
We have just had
Shrove Tuesday (or Pancake day to all the heathens) and it has inspired my
latest ramble. Despite all our small
differences we are essentially all the same! We are all just a pancake!
Something I love about
travelling is meeting all kinds of different people, from all kinds of
different places, from all kinds of different backgrounds, and from all kinds
of different cultures. Despite all our
small differences, people are on the whole (there are always exceptions, but
let’s leave that for another time) good and want to help their fellow man (it
was international women’s day the other day, so I apologise for the lack of a
more equal term). We are all made of the
same ingredients after all. Strangely
from this point I’m going to focus on our beautiful differences. For how could we learn from each other if we
weren’t all different; how could we learn and improve? I love discussing differences between people
and seeing the different viewpoints that others can have on different things.
Pancakes. Almost all countries eat pancakes in one form
or another, but they all eat them differently.
The other day I was discussing pancakes with my co-teachers, an
Englishman, an American and a South African (I know it sounds like a bad joke),
and how they ate pancakes. We struggled
to even define what a pancake was! We
all considered a pancake to be something different, we all approached the topic
from a different perspective. The
Americans have Buttermilk pancakes (Americans you may correct my terminology, I
am here to learn), South Africans have Pannekoeke (as can the South Africans) and
the English have pancakes traditionally with lemon and sugar, but let’s not
forget Yorkshire who eat them with stew (trust me it’s good, a pancake is
essentially a flat, pan fried Yorkshire pudding). Between us we could not decide what a pancake
was or how it should be eaten, but that they essentially begin with the same
mix of ingredients. Everyone’s pancakes
are different shapes and sizes and dressed differently. Sounds a little bit like people. We all eat our pancakes differently;
Europeans and the commonwealth generally (minus Yorkshire) have sweet pancakes,
the Asian countries are more prone to savoury pancakes with meat and vegetables
(Peking duck anyone), Africans generally follow the European lead for colonial
reasons and South Americans are the exception that prove the rule and seem not
have pancakes. It is clear we all love
and accept pancakes in all their different shapes, sizes and dressing, so why
can’t we all love everyone in all their different shapes, sizes and dressings. We are all made from the same basic
ingredients with different perfectly acceptable (in most cases) dressings on.
If we consider how
differently we perceive but a simple pancake, think how differently we must perceive
everything else. A simple conversation
from three people who speak a common language caused confusion, but also taught
how things can be done differently.
Imagine how differently everyone sees the world. I have been brought up knowing sweet (or
stewy) pancakes and my perspective and knowledge has increased greatly from
learning from my native English speaking colleagues and from experiencing
different types of pancakes in the Asian culture of Taiwan. From travelling and socialising with
different people from different worlds you have the chance to gain so many
different perspectives and different views on the world (and pancakes). It is important to meet and talk to new
people (and eat new pancakes). It is
safe to say that the further away people are from you, the pronounced the
difference in perception will be, but even people from a different town/village
or a different generation will have a greatly different perception of the world
than you. Do you remember Charlie Chalk
and Brewers Fayre, Trap Door, Yo-yo’s, pokemon cards and furbys? I do! But who else does?
Think of all the different perceptions of different people, think of all we can learn from each other’s culture and think of all the pancakes we can eat! Let’s all be friends and discuss our wonderful differences over a pancake or two. Consider this, we are not people, we are pancakes, but for whatever reason some of us are sweet, some of us are fat, some of us are thin, but we are all enjoyed with glee. Except for sour pancakes, no one likes a bitter pancake. Remember the joy and wonder of your childhood pancake day! Let’s bring it back!
Hot Tea
P.S. Here is a list of many different pancakes from around the world; an argument on what and what isn’t a pancake has already begun! (http://9gag.com/gag/aRQo15A/pancakes-from-around-the-world).
