Editor draws line in the sand, waffles better than pancakes
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 1:21PM By David Thackham
thackhamd@mytjnow.com
I’m calling you out, pancake lovers. The gauntlet has been thrown.
Cover your ears in batter if you must, but I’m going to say it: Waffles are better than pancakes.
When a food has just as much cultural relevance today as it did in 1300, you know it has to be good. Over the years, America’s favorite old-time breakfast has undergone little change, yet remains one of the most iconic symbols of the kitchen table.
In fact, the etymology of “waffle” comes from the Middle English (Wafre) or wafer, which were very light thin crisp cakes baked between irons. Sound familiar to a double Belgian waffle maker?
The waffle’s simplicity is its attraction. It can be enjoyed with toppings and flavors. Norwegians tend to choose cheese on their waffles, while the Belgians are partial to adding sugars and vanilla their creations.
Waffles have always been the hip choice. After Thomas Jefferson brought home a waffle iron from France, waffle “frolics”, or parties, became popular in the 18th century. I’ve never heard of a pancake party.
Unfortunately, the waffle has been slandered in recent times. Much like the “Santorum” debacle (try Googling that with Safe Search off), the word “waffle” has been cruelly twisted into a term meaning to flip-flop on issues or to endlessly drone for hours on end. In April 2004, Ken Jacobson, a Duquesne University law school student, launched the “waffles” Google bombing of 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry, which encouraged linking of “waffles” to Kerry’s official site. Regardless of your political slants, there is no reason to throw your favorite breakfast friend under the bus.
But through it all, one relic lives on: The Waffle House. In his column for the Nashville Scene, “The Mysterious Mundane Magic of Waffle House,” Jim Ridley said, “The Waffle House is everywhere in the South. Regular customers speak of its employees, its customs, and its food with near reverence. And yet the Waffle House is so pervasive it’s invisible. It doesn’t advertise; it hides in plain sight.”
So pancake lovers can have their national-chain restaurants of IHOP and The Original Pancake House, while we in the South can enjoy the true, home-cooked fun that comes into cooking the perfect waffle. It takes a little longer, but it tastes just so much better.
