Episode 112 British Culture - What on EARTH is Pancake Day? And HOW Do We Celebrate?

Today is Pancake Day in the UK, otherwise known a Shrove Tuesday. This is the day before Ash Wednesday, or the beginning of lent. Traditionally people made pancakes to try to use up all the things in their cupboard before lent. In this episode we'll talk a little about the religious days that Pancake day is a part of. Then we'll look at the ingredients for pancakes. We'll look at the differences between British, American and French pancakes and finally we'll talk about the most important factor...toppings! See you tomorrow! British Slang:rubbish - not very good naff - boring, not interesting or not very good If you'd like to have a go yourself try: British Pancakes: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-pancakes American Pancakes: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/american-pancakes French Crepes: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20931/french-crepes/ You can watch French Crepes being made on this YouTube video. Skip to 5:27m to see the crepe tool in use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX6ghyT6Ig0 If you're wondering why maple syrup is so special check out this short video on how maple syrup is made. It shows you some of the traditional methods before showing you the modern system. Vocabulary preemptive - intending to prevent something before it happens although you'd be forgiven for thinking it is - common phrase to let people know they are doing or thinking what most people would do or think finite - limited we go all out - phrase meaning we do everything we can toss a pancake/flip a pancake - to turn a pancake over either by moving the pan or with a tool is beyond me - phrase meaning something I don't understand or can't imagine Golden syrup - a syrup made from sugar Maple Syrup - a syrup made from sugar, but it comes from the Maple tree Mesmerising - something that you can't take your eyes off