Pancake

When planning his new restaurant, my uncle travelled all over the world.

“And you know what they had everywhere?” he said, whisking the batter. “Pancakes.”

“Pancakes?”

“Pancakes. There’s so many culinary traditions, but everyone has pancakes. In Eritrea, it’s savoury and used as a plate. In Indonesia, they have serabi. In France, crepes.”

“Why’s that?”

“Pancakes are hard times food. The cheapest ingredients. A culture’s food shows its history, and everyone’s had hard times, too.”

“Hard times food?” I asked. “You charge £60 for your pancakes.”

He shrugged. “That’s because when people are rich, they can afford to be stupid.”