Pancakes!

Surprisingly, considering the lack of furniture we have in our house, Hugo and I had an extra bed frame. Hugo's grandma asked if she could use it...apparently one of hers broke. She arranged for a gentleman with a pickup to bring her to town on a Sunday to retrieve the bed frame. She called and told Hugo she would be here at...7:00am! Sunday is the only day we get to "sleep in" (church doesn't start until 10:00am). But, we could get up early this one time.

Hugo thought it would be a good idea if we all had breakfast together since she would be arriving so early. He asked if I would make pancakes (his American favorite). I agreed.

A few days before her arrival, Hugo approached me about the upcoming breakfast. I could tell something was up. He said some of his family from the farm wanted to come with his grandma. Everyone looked forward to a chance to visit the big city. He said there would be EIGHT people for breakfast! Instantly, I groaned. Not because I minded cooking for so many people...but because having 8 extra people in the house would severely stretch the limits of our little house. We have a dining table with four chairs. I have six cups. I might have eight forks, but I wasn't sure. Oh my...

I managed to set the table for five people and used my desk and some plastic stools to accommodate the other three. And two people had to use old peanut butter jars as cups.

I had the tables all set and ready to go Saturday night. First thing Sunday morning, Hugo's family came bursting into the house. I was in the kitchen preparing the pancakes and scrambled eggs when something very interesting happened. All of his female family members huddled around me to watch! I had done the same thing to them on several occasions...it was fascinating for me to watch them make traditional Salvadoran dishes. Now it was happening in reverse! They were amazed by the pancake process! How funny to think they had never seen, heard of, or eaten a pancake! And, my electric skillet was something new too. Hugo's grandma asked several questions about making the pancakes...she wanted to try them at home. But, she was very distressed because she didn't have an electric skillet. Hugo assured her she could use a pan on the stove!

Finally, we all sat down to eat. But that proved to be an event too. To save money, Hugo and I have always used cloth napkins. Because we didn't even have any paper napkins in the house, I used the cloth ones for our guest. They all picked them up and asked Hugo what they were supposed to do with them. After he explained, they all said they felt like they were in a fancy restaurant. Oh dear. The next problem was the salt shaker. Usually, families have a bowl of salt. They reach in to grab a pinch to season their food. A salt shaker was something new. Unfortunately, my salt shaker has two sides...a shaker side and a pour side. Even though I had the shaker side open, someone switched to the pour side. The first person to use the salt shaker got a mound of salt for their eggs! Everyone laughed. I offered to make her new eggs, but she said it was fine and insisted on eating them. Next came the eating of the pancakes. Butter and syrup were new ingredients. Everyone had to watch Hugo to learn how to prepare their pancakes. And, the shape and consistency of a pancake somewhat resembles a papusa (traditional Salvadoran dish). Locals eat a papusa with their hands. Even if my white skin didn't give it away, people always know I'm from "out of town" because I use a fork for my papusa. Anyway, they all wanted to pick up their pancake. Hugo told them that because of the syrup, it would be better to use a fork.

Overall, it was a fascinating experience. If the complexity of a pancake, salt shaker, and cloth napkins can cause so much drama, I wonder what Hugo's family would be like if they ever visited America!