# Anyone having pancakes today for Shrove Tuesday?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 20, 2007, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926 "2007-02-20T04:14:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/1 "2007-02-20T04:14:48Z")

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I had some lovely ones for lunch with sugar and lemon juice.

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**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/2 "2007-02-20T06:12:08Z")

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[QUOTE=Cunctator]  
I had some lovely ones for lunch with sugar and lemon juice.  
[/QUOTE]

Is this like a British thing? My Scottish friend insisted we have pancakes tomorrow (Tuesday). I wasn’t sure why.

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**Author:** ![Grey\_Tama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@Grey\_Tama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey_Tama)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/3 "2007-02-20T08:58:19Z")

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Sledding followed by hot pea soup and [Shrove buns](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semla) - traditional Finnish Shrove Tuesday.

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**Author:** ![Dinaroozie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Dinaroozie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinaroozie)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/4 "2007-02-20T09:23:59Z")

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It’s orientation week at my uni, and the student union had a barbecue set up and some people were making pancakes for everyone. I didn’t realise until later that it was Shrove Tuesday, though.

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**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/5 "2007-02-20T12:30:47Z")

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Two honest questions:

What is Shrove Tuesday?

What do pancakes have to do with Shrove Tuesday or vice versa?

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**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/6 "2007-02-20T12:32:52Z")

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It’s pancake day, it’s pancake day, it’s p-p-p-pancake day!

Sort of: In Germany, we traditionally have [donut-like baked goods](http://www.bonnaparte.de/redadmin/bilder/5785-1.jpg) on Shrove Tuesday. They are called “Krapfen” in my part of the country but “Pfannkuchen” up North. “Pfannkuchen” translates to “pancakes” - what we call “pancakes” in the South is the crêpe-type one.

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**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/7 "2007-02-20T12:40:28Z")

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[QUOTE=LouisB]  
What is Shrove Tuesday?

What do pancakes have to do with Shrove Tuesday or vice versa?  
[/QUOTE]

It’s the day before the start of Lent. Traditionally you were supposed to use up all your fancier foods like, er, eggs and flour, before the fast. Hence pancakes.

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**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/8 "2007-02-20T12:51:23Z")

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Of course I am. I’m Episcopalian. Eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday is part of our tradition. My understanding was one ate pancakes to use up all the fat in the house before Lent. As for the “Shrove” in Shrove Tuesday, it’s from “shrive”, meaning, roughly, forgive. Anglicans are supposed to confess our sins and be forgiven for them before Lent. Pancake suppers may not be as much fun as Mardi Gras or Carnival, but they’re traditional. At my current church, the pancakes are also served with another thing Episcopalians are traditionally fond of – wine!

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**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/9 "2007-02-20T12:57:45Z")

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The local Episcopal church always hase a pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday; we’ll go tonight, mostly because the sausages they serve with the pancakes are so delicious.

Einmon, do you celebrate Fasching in your part of Germany, or Karnival? Isn’t that today also? My wife and I attended some great Fasching parties when we were in Aschaffenburg back in the 1970s. One was on a riverboat that cruised the Main River from Aschaffenburg to Frankfurt and back.

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**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/10 "2007-02-20T13:15:09Z")

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The canteen in work was doing them so I got one. Will be dropping into my parents house tonight to give my Da the new episode of Rome so I’m sure to have 1 or 10 there as well as my Ma always goes overboard on Pancake Tuesday.

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**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/11 "2007-02-20T13:19:34Z")

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I’m going to make pancakes today. And bacon. Yum.

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**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/12 "2007-02-20T15:00:08Z")

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Hadn’t thought about pancakes, but this reminds me that for the first time in years I’m not having paczki for Shrove Tuesday. I don’t even know of any place I can get them where I’m living now.

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**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/13 "2007-02-20T15:04:13Z")

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Since I live in Milwaukee it is required by law that I eat a paczki this morning and go to a Fasching party tonight.

For those unaware, a paczki (roughly pronounced ‘poonchkey’) is a fancy Polish name for a jelly doughnut. Fasching is the German version Mardi Gras, where you drink beer and women are allowed to cut off your tie.

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/14 "2007-02-20T15:17:01Z")

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Holeeeeee!

One of the women at work (Germany) did that last Thursday to the two guys who’d brought ties, all the explanation us beffudled foreigners could get was “it’s traditional”.

She told us that there was an audit team in and, because the previous year they’d also been in the same factory on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday and gotten their ties chopped, this year they came tie-less. In three-piece suits, but no ties.

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**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/15 "2007-02-20T16:10:51Z")

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I forgot that it was Shrove Tuesday (bad Catholic I am, but then I don’t really practice anymore).

But I think I shall have pancakes tonight.

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**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/16 "2007-02-20T17:21:00Z")

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I am a bad Catholic, I had Eggo waffles. 😃

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**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/17 "2007-02-20T20:49:14Z")

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I’m disappointed that no one has mentioned [this](http://www.ihop.com/tellafriend.php) yet. IHOP does it every year, and I try to participate every year. The only thing better than pancakes is free (with a small donation) pancakes!

And yes, that’s where I went for lunch. I haven’t decided if I’m going back for dinner. 😃

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**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/18 "2007-02-20T22:56:56Z")

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Today, in Michigan ( mainly the Detroit & Burbs) is **Paczki Day**.  
[Wiki goodness](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paczki) .

Paczki is pronounced Poon-schki. There is some comman thing on the A that gives it OOM sound.

Paczki’s are laden with calories ( 1000 per) and are just a jelly or custard filled donut of polish origin.  
How did I spend my Fat Tuesday?  
Working in a Megastore bakery.

Serving up Paczki’s. and listening to my supervisor with 21 years experience with this store have one panic attack after another all day long and bursting randomly into tears because she was so overwhelmed. No one else was. It was rather interesting, to say the least.

Our shipment to offload onto the zombie-fied public is over 10,000 or 100,000 (depending on my math performed with an hysterical boss off on a panic induced rant right next to me) in about 5 days.

Powered sugar was everywhere looking like a coke factory blew up.  
Every day in Michigan is a FAT day.

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**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/19 "2007-02-20T23:57:30Z")

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Wow. I’d be supremely pissed off if someone cut up an article of my clothing because it was traditional in _their_ religion. I’d be demanding they pay for it at the very least. I know my boyfriend has some ties that are very special (and likely not able to be replaced) to him and I’m sure he’d be very upset if someone cut one of them.

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-having-pancakes-today-for-shrove-tuesday/392926/20 "2007-02-21T00:22:32Z")

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Had a paczki.

I didn’t remember the date, though, and I’m an atheist in any case, but paczki kicks pancake butt.

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