Pancake Adventure

Mmmm.... who doesn’t love silver dollar pancakes with warm maple syrup for breakfast? I tried to make them for the first time one morning when I was eight years old. It was quite an adventure!

First, I opened the cookbook, and gathered all the ingredients and materials that were needed. I mixed together 1 and ¼ cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of salt, and 2 teaspoons of baking soda. So far so good, or so I thought... Next, I stirred in the milk, egg, and salad oil. Just when I was about to pour a cup of salad oiI into the bowl of pancake mix, I hesitated. One cup of salad oil seemed a little bit too much just for a few pancakes. I re-read the recipe and discovered that only 3 tablespoons of oil were needed. Whew! It was a good thing I read the recipe carefully!

Finally, it was time to cook the pancakes. I melted some butter on the pan, and waited impatiently as the pancakes sizzled and filled the house with an amazing aroma. All my brothers were lining up to taste the pancakes. They didn’t even mind that some of the pancakes had inadvertently landed on the floor while I was flipping them.

As they took their first bites, their eager smiles quickly faded, replaced with contorted frowns. “Why on earth were they spitting up the pancakes?”  I wondered. As I took my first bite, I understood. BLAH!  Even drenched with maple syrup, the pancake tasted AWFUL!

As I reread the recipe again, the mystery was solved. I had put 1 teaspoon instead of 2 tablespoons of sugar. Also, I added baking soda instead of baking powder; and to top it off, I put in two tablespoons instead of half teaspoon of salt. Ooops...

I learned a few lessons that day. I found out that just a few mistakes in following a recipe can drastically change the taste of pancakes. Furthermore, my experiment confirmed the saying, “Looks can be deceiving.” It was hard to believe, that something that smelled and looked so delicious could taste so dreadful! Next time, I’m sure they’ll turn out much better. After all, we all know that “Practice makes perfect!’