We do pancakes on Fridays, and we do them at IHOP.According to Calorie Counter, each pancake (without butter and syrup) is 110 calories. Big, fluffy empty calories. So, we are fully aware that this is not the best way to start out our day. Really, we would be more health conscious if we had a bowl of Kashi cereal and a half of a grapefruit.
We pay more than we should for our Friday breakfast, too. The IHOP breakfast special is $4.99 for 2 eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns and 2 pancakes; I know that we could purchase the necessary ingredients and make these meals at home and, in the long run, we would get more for our money.
But, nearly every Friday, you will find me, sitting in a booth with my husband, enjoying a plateful of pancakes--which is a pleasurable indeed. We walk to the local IHOP, around the corner from our home, and when we walk in the door the host nods. We are regulars. It's a great feeling to be "a regular" somewhere in my own community, it gives me a feeling of connection. A feeling of community.
The Friday morning waitresses are the best, we know because we have stopped in on other days of the week--and it isn't the same. Theresa is one of their best, she knows that I'll skip the hash browns and that my husband likes turkey bacon cooked crisply, please And about her, I know that she works two jobs to get by. She studied cosmetology at the local college and when she is not working as a waitress, she cuts hair in a Barbershop.
Michelle was the first waitress we met, she a young, slender woman with a beautiful smile. She doesn't see herself this way, though. She sees herself through the eyes of her past. She sees the problems she has had with her complexion. The teasing she endured has left her so wounded, that she doesn't know if she will ever have children of her own--for fear of passing the skin condition down to her offspring.
And then there is Lorilai. She's got the most welcoming demeanor and laughs at her own jokes. She is a Single Mom to two daughters, and she fights to maintain their innocence. She was so excited this Christmas when she saved up enough money to buy them a Wii. These women who know what we order, and bring us our food, they are special to us.
This is why we do pancakes on Fridays, and we do them at IHOP.
