Pancake day... aka... Shrove Tuesday

So today was Pancake day, so I asked Liesl to come with me to The Great Spitalfields Pancake Race. Easier said than done...first we found out at about 11:30 that the trains to Shoreditch only run untill 10:30 and only again at 15:30. So we got off at Whitechapel and asked for directions....still got horribly lost...found a bus stop...with a map and found the street where it is supposed to be...a dodgy side street...so we walked past it a few times before we found it. So what is pancake day?

According to the BBC: Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of lent). It is a day to clean the soul and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before lent begins. Lent is a time of giving things up, so Shrove Tuesday is the last time ro indulge yourself, and use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday as it was a dish that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk that would spoil during lent with only the addition of some flour.

So why pancake races? The races are thought to have begun in 1445. A woman was busy cooking pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and lost track of time. Sudenly she heard the church bell ringing to call the faithfull to church for confession. The woman raced out of her house and ran all the way to church; still holding her frying pan and wearing her apron.

So what did we find...people running and falling while flipping pancakes...clowns...tunes...and families












After the races being cold and hugry we walked into a cofee shop close by...I have no idea what the name is but from outside it looks like a normal coffee shop...but after we got some coffee we went upstairs to the extra seating area...and found...our local OBS cafe ... couches, pillows and people smoking the herb in the corner ... had a blast catching up and having lots of coffee.

We timed it perfectly...just caught the first train leaving Shoreditch.

L8r
Panthera