Pancakes are on my mind because yesterday was National Pancake Day and there are few things I love more than a good flapjack topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. I’m also a fan of real maple syrup and bananas on top of my stack. 

My father prefers his pancakes on the thin side, heading in the direction of crepes. He then squeezes liberal amounts of fresh lemon juice on his pancake, adds sugar (preferably a fine, white sugar) to offset the tanginess of the lemon, and carefully rolls the pancake around the topping before slicing off pieces of perfectly balanced sweet and sour. 

My father never rushes through his pancakes. He enjoys the process of squeezing, sprinkling, rolling and then eating. 

In our family home, we were more likely to have pancakes for dinner than earlier in the day. We prepared the pancakes one by one in the small, copper-bottomed frying pan we dubbed ‘the pancake pan.’ We all sat at the table and took turns waiting for our next pancake. We weren’t allowed to leave the dining table until we had all had our fill. This meant the meal could sometimes stretch out for a while, but the wait was worth it. The pancakes were delicious and we had a chance to sit, chat, and catch up on whatever was going on in our lives as we waited for each pancake to cook.

You Can’t Rush a Pancake

Remembering this slow, thoughtful act of preparation (you can’t rush a pancake) and consumption led me to think about how we often rush through our meals, grabbing something on the go, not always taking the time to sit down and share a meal. While our lives are chaotic, it seems to me that’s exactly why we need to make sure to make time to sit down and eat together with others. 

It may not be practical to carve out several hours to prepare a big, complicated meal every night or to expect every member of our hockey-playing, French-horn studying, overtime shift-working family to be there for every meal, but a decision to commit to even one meal a week together should be within our reach. 

If the meal preparation part feels overwhelming, then choosing a restaurant that offers thoughtfully prepared meals can be a fabulous option. My mother, who ran a business and did not particularly enjoy cooking, delegated the cooking task to the rest of us. My dad and the four kids took turns making meals, and when it was my mom’s night to cook, we ate out. 

Here in the Bow Valley, we’re fortunate to have so many restaurants to choose from (have a browse through our online menus to see what’s available). We’re always eager to hear about your dining experiences - leave a comment and let us know where you love to go out and eat and why? What makes a really great meal? How do you make sure you find the time to share meals with those whose company you enjoy? 

Join Our Dinner Clubs

If you haven’t already done so, make sure you join our local dinner clubs - we have one in Banff and one in Canmore. Watch for updates here in this blog as well as in our Facebook groups. You never know where we may be dining next, but one thing you can count on - we won’t be rushing through our meals!