How do you like to spend your birthday? If you’re anything like Fox, then you probably challenged your husband (read: me) to a 50-mile bike race for charity, and then, suitably famished, you challenged your husband (see previous) to a pancake eating competition.
Anyone else?
Okay, so maybe no one else has ever done that for their birthday. But that’s precisely how we ended up at a Denny’s one rainy (and briefly hail-peppered) Saturday last October, ready to tuck in to their $4 All-You-Can-Eat Pancake special.
Would I be the victor?
Or would birthday girl Fox prevail?
Round one was a cinch. We each got our trio of pancakes and devoured them in just a few bites. We noted each others’ differing styles; Fox was less liberal with the syrup, only using half a rammekin or so, while I took a more waste-not-want-not approach, soaking the (somewhat dry) pancakes down with two entire rammekins, so as make them more edible.
A mere three minutes after receiving our first round, Fox was ready for round two. (Note: while the first round had 3 pancakes, each round after went in pairs.)
And I was more than happy to oblige my fellow food gladiator. Within another five minutes or so, we had each ingested five pancakes. (I had also consumed every molecule of syrup I’d thus far been served.)
Perhaps the syrup was what caused things to take a rough turn. In Round 3, I began to feel the effects of such a heavy carb-fest.
And yet, Fox appeared to be just fine, unfazed and ready for combat.
Round 4 is where the hammer really came down upon me. And with my face streaked with syrup drippings, carb-sweats, and bitter tears of defeat, I had to yield.
I raised my white flag, and Fox reigned victorious. She beat me, downing 8.75 pancakes to my 8.5.
(As I write this, Fox has pressed me to note that she could have won 9 – 8.5, but she didn’t see the point of being cruel. Gee, thanks.)
And that is the story of our Great Pancake-Off of 2014. And by great, I mean disgusting! Never. Again.