Pancake day - February 16

I love a good pancake as much as the next person, but I don't know if I'd dedicate a whole day to them. And in any case, pancakes in the UK are really crepes. (If you want a thick pancake, you have to ask for an American pancake, in which case they'll probably spit in your food, so best not to bother.)

It's actually Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent, when Jesus went into the desert and fasted for 40 days.  If you're Christian, you know you're supposed to give something up (like meat) during this period, but historically you were supposed to get rid of all "luxury" foods, like sugar, eggs, and oil, so people made pancakes.  Now it's a tradition, with lots of charity events including pancake races (since 1445!) where you race whilst holding a frying pan and flipping a pancake!

Interestingly, Jews have a similar tradition before Passover, removing all unleavened products ("chametz") from their home.  Hard to discount the similarities between Moses wandering the desert for 40 years, and Jesus for 40 days, although in both cases it probably stems from a more practical need, before refrigeration, to empty the cupboards before winter stores begin to spoil.  (In England the period between now and the spring crop was called, not very creatively, the "hungry time.")

Shrove, by the way, is an old English word for going to confession.  The French obviously didn't bother with that, though, as they just called it "Fat Tuesday" -- Mardi Gras.  The Germans called it Fastnacht ("night before the fast" perhaps?) and celebrated with donuts fried in lard.  Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is probably the only place in America where you can find fausnachts and trust me, they are as disgusting as they sound.

But the award for weirdest food on Shrove Tuesday has to go to the Scots, who eat fried balls of meat called "festy cocks" and make pancakes with slices of hot dogs.  (Oh wait, Jimmy Dean makes those as well.)

And before you say anything, yes, I realise I said "whilst."  I may never talk like a Brit, but at least I can type like one.