What could an Australian advert for rubbish and Shrove Tuesday possibly have in common?
**Answer at the end.
Food and friendship can play a large part in any carer’s raison d’etre.
So, linking Pancake day on the 5th March and International women’s day, 8th March with Women Welcome Women World Wide, carers and rubbish actually makes sense.
But what do they all have in common?
Food and friendship.
They bring us all together is so many ways.
Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras means quite literally Tuesday fat or fat Tuesday.
The day when we gorge ourselves on pancakes before the start of lent and fasting, for some.
And if you are wondering if this ancient tradition is still relevant today look no further than twitter last Tuesday 26th Feb when apparently Brits were complaining that they had to wait another week to eat pancakes…seriously?!
Last time I checked there was no pancake police. 😉
So why wait to be told when to eat pancakes?
For example in France you can eat them every day but only at certain times.
There is a small time slot to eat crepes in France. I remember once asking for a crepe in a café after 6pm. He looked at me as if I had suggested he should start a naked waiter service.
Gouter (afternoon sweet snack) takes place between 4 and 5 pm. And that’s that.
In the UK we eat pancakes that look like French crepes which can be delicately folded or rolled up and eaten with lemon and sugar or just sugar in France.
In the USA they eat pancakes that are the size and circumference of pale burgers and are stacked sky high enough to accommodate any number of adornments from bacon to maple syrup.
Carers who make pancakes for their clients may consider it comfort food.
I often see client’s faces light up when I suggest making pancakes.
Too often, clients get used to shop bought puds.
Instant rice pudding, heated in the microwave, crème caramel and fruit yoghurts.
Nothing wrong with these but most elderly people really do still appreciate the care that goes into a homemade pud/dessert/afters (depending on the client and their upbringing.)
Not to mention the aromas which permeate the afternoon nap and stimulate the appetite…
And while I think of it…Here’s a tip for those with problems digesting lactose.
I was declared lactose intolerant in my early twenties and have enviously eyed up cheesecake, ice cream and crepes ever since.
However, in recent years I have been puzzled to discover I could eat crepes in France without any side effects but not in England. For years I put this down to…being more relaxed and not working in France and therefore a happier gut? Then a friend pointed out that crepes are made in France with sterilised and not pasteurised milk et voila! The answer!
I soon discovered that sterilised milk has less lactose and therefore easier for many to digest. Vive du lait en France or something like that.
Meanwhile from food to friendship…
Promoting friendship around the world was the passion behind Frances Alexander’s dream 35 years ago!
13 members attended the first gathering of new friends in Frances’ living room. Today there are nearly 2, 500 members world wide across 71 countries.
Caring and sharing, stories, ideas and of course food. 5W has quite literally opened up the world for me over the last three decades. Take a look at their website to find out more.
https://www.womenwelcomewomen.uk/article/home.aspx
Friederike Rice and I were at that first gathering.
Here we are chez Friederike and Colin. Sutton Coldfield. UK. 2018.
Just a few of our lovely ladies doing lunch with love and laughter at Lake Macquarie, Australia. 2018.
Also as the majority of carers are female you might find all the events that are being celebrated on International Women’s Day worth a look.
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
So whether you like your pancakes like door stops or wafer thin I think they will still be a talking point for years to come. I was trying to think of a polite way to end with comments about the art of tossing and how it’s all about the wrist action but I seem to be failing…however, just beware if you walk into a friend’s kitchen on Tuesday 5th March and they are staring at the ceiling expect to be wearing new headgear pretty soon!
**And here is the answer to the question at the beginning.
Nothing to do with flipping pancakes just a warning about disrespectful rubbish disposal!
Have G’day!
#tags
Australia, rubbish, Internationalwowmensday, 5W, shrovetuesday, pancakeday, crepes, gouter, France, USA, tosser, carers, lakemacquarie, lactoseintolerant, Brits, Mardigras, food, friendship, careandchoice, helenducal.