What is... Pan Cake?

Being a blonde is fun. I can’t really say if it’s more fun than any other hair color since I’ve always been blonde in varying shades, but it’s pretty fun. What’s the most fun thing about it? The blonde moments. A vineyard, ripe with awkward and delectable stories. An endless shelf of little books, tales that perhaps don’t paint me in the best light, but entertain just the same. This particular gem comes from a little restaurant a few years ago, when my mother, my sister Kara and I all went for brunch.

We sat down and began to peruse the menu, looking for something that sounded good. That day, I was particularly grouchy, I don’t remember why, but whatever it was really had me in a mood. The waitress came up with pen and pad in hand, ready to take our orders. We were in a rush, but I couldn’t decide what to order so my mother suggested I just get a pancake.

I looked at her, baffled.

“Pancake?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “What is a... pan - cake?”

Now, I don’t know what power had decided to remove my brain that day. But in my mind, in that moment, I had never heard of pancakes. My brain constructed an image of a birthday cake in a skillet and I could not fathom how that would be a breakfast food. I also didn’t get why everyone was staring at me, trying to tell if I was joking or not. I wasn’t. Not even a little. 

Thankfully, my mother salvaged what little she could from the situation by asking the waitress for a few more minutes to decide, in which she and Kara tried to explain to me what a pancake was, how I had eaten them a dozen times before, while I belligerently continued to misunderstand.

I don’t remember now if I realized my mistake right away or if it really did take awhile for them to get through to me, but six years later, I still have not lived that moment down. It comes out whenever someone is ignorant of something they should definitely know, whenever someone says something really stupid, or whenever we need a laugh.

On the upside of being the butt of a never ending joke, I basically have created my own catch phrase.

What is, pan - cake?

- Katie