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TIL that flapjacks are VERY different things in the USA and the UK!


ktgrok
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I was reading a detective novel set in England, and at one point someone brings the main character two flapjacks for him to munch on with his tea, while he works on the computer. He picks one up and bites into it, describing it as chewy. I was VERY confused as to why one would have pancakes as a typical snack, and eat them with their hands. I mean...I've DONE IT, lol, but it's not "normal". 

So I googled, and it turns out they are more like what I'd call a granola bar than a pancake! I have some baking now (well, sort of...I was out of regular oats but had some "superfood oatmeal" that has flax and chia and stuff in it and used that). Super easy, but not healthy. My Weight Watchers app says 9 points for 1/12 of the pan. I only get 23 points per day, lol. (some foods are zero points though, and I get 28 weekly points I can divvy up over the week how I want, so I may still try them). 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/yummy-easy-traditional-flapjack-recipe-435285

edited to adjust serving size

Edited by ktgrok
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Smarties are also VERY different in the US compared to Canada. 

In Canada, Smarties are chocolate 'buttons' covered in coloured candy, very similar to M&Ms. In the US, Smarites are candies that are exactly like what we in Canada call Rockets. It's so confusing collecting Halloween candy in the US when you're used to Canadian candy! 😅

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34 minutes ago, fraidycat said:

Interesting. Our (family) version of flapjacks is fried bread dough. Served with choice of butter, jam, powdered sugar, honey, cinnamon sugar, etc. Basically a homemade doughnut without the hole.

Those are called scones in Idaho and Utah and not at all like what the British (and probably pretty much the rest of the world) call scones. 😄

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1 hour ago, wintermom said:

Smarties are also VERY different in the US compared to Canada. 

In Canada, Smarties are chocolate 'buttons' covered in coloured candy, very similar to M&Ms. In the US, Smarites are candies that are exactly like what we in Canada call Rockets. It's so confusing collecting Halloween candy in the US when you're used to Canadian candy! 😅

image.png.38a044565683f9d5b5906cd21baa30bb.png

image.png.325c252547d1011fcc55433bb1ba35dd.png

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I learned about the different kind of Smarties also from a detective/crime novel set in the UK, lol. A Scottish detective kept bribing his kid with them to get her to let him get some work done. He mentioned the chocolate she had smeared on her face at one point, so I googled it. 

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2 hours ago, fraidycat said:

Interesting. Our (family) version of flapjacks is fried bread dough. Served with choice of butter, jam, powdered sugar, honey, cinnamon sugar, etc. Basically a homemade doughnut without the hole.

Sounds like beaver tails in Canada.

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2 hours ago, fraidycat said:

Interesting. Our (family) version of flapjacks is fried bread dough. Served with choice of butter, jam, powdered sugar, honey, cinnamon sugar, etc. Basically a homemade doughnut without the hole.

We call those scones out my way! Entirely different from the baked goods called scones elsewhere...

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My grandpa always called pancakes hotcakes. Grandma made amazing hotcakes--she would beat the eggwhites and then fold them into the rest of the batter to make them extra fluffy. Best eaten with peanut butter and maple syrup...

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9 hours ago, wintermom said:

This kind of beavertail

image.png.03a0bfda6e499ae8ce637f5605bed5eb.png

 

 

Oh I wish I could get that in the US (nowhere near me has it or ships it from what i can find).   I even checked Amazon and they don't have them.  It looks/sounds so good!!!  You guys have the best stuff.

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I can just think of what a Brit might think reading about Paul Bunyan's flapjacks for the first time. 😄

I never knew there was a difference!  I used to eat flapjacks/pancakes rolled up as snacks when I was a kid, so it wouldn't have even occurred to me that it was a weird thing in a story to have at tea.

Now I want pancakes.  Breakfast for dinner tonight, it is!

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50 minutes ago, Ditto said:

Oh I wish I could get that in the US (nowhere near me has it or ships it from what i can find).   I even checked Amazon and they don't have them.  It looks/sounds so good!!!  You guys have the best stuff.

Fried bread really needs to be eaten fresh--it's not hard to make though! 

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11 hours ago, Drama Llama said:

Sounds like beaver tails in Canada.

I'm actually in Canada and beaver tails is a newer commercial term, mostly found in tourist areas, yes. They are also know as elephant ears at fairs and carnivals. But, my grandparents called them flapjacks when they made them at home since before my parents were born. 

Edited by fraidycat
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2 hours ago, Ditto said:

Oh I wish I could get that in the US (nowhere near me has it or ships it from what i can find).   I even checked Amazon and they don't have them.  It looks/sounds so good!!!  You guys have the best stuff.

Beavertails are definitely best when eaten fresh from the vendor. My personal favourite is a Beavertail eaten while skating on the frozen Rideau Canal in Ottawa! 

image.png.3cbb16b29c2dc8fb45ceb334b350ed56.png

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2 hours ago, Ditto said:

Oh I wish I could get that in the US (nowhere near me has it or ships it from what i can find).   I even checked Amazon and they don't have them.  It looks/sounds so good!!!  You guys have the best stuff.

They are the same as what all country fairs and amusement parks call fried dough, and other regional names. Basically like funnel cakes.

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1 hour ago, fraidycat said:

I'm actually in Canada and beaver tails is a newer commercial term, mostly found in tourist areas, yes. They are also know as elephant ears at fairs and carnivals. But, my grandparents called them flapjacks when they made them at home since before my parents were born. 

They were called Beaver Tails when I was a kid living in Ontario.

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20 hours ago, ktgrok said:

I was reading a detective novel set in England, and at one point someone brings the main character two flapjacks for him to munch on with his tea, while he works on the computer. He picks one up and bites into it, describing it as chewy. I was VERY confused as to why one would have pancakes as a typical snack, and eat them with their hands. I mean...I've DONE IT, lol, but it's not "normal". 

So I googled, and it turns out they are more like what I'd call a granola bar than a pancake! I have some baking now (well, sort of...I was out of regular oats but had some "superfood oatmeal" that has flax and chia and stuff in it and used that). Super easy, but not healthy. My Weight Watchers app says 9 points for 1/12 of the pan. I only get 23 points per day, lol. (some foods are zero points though, and I get 28 weekly points I can divvy up over the week how I want, so I may still try them). 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/yummy-easy-traditional-flapjack-recipe-435285

edited to adjust serving size

Off topic but why are oats and flax and chia not healthy?

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On 2/1/2024 at 8:03 AM, Ditto said:

Oh I wish I could get that in the US (nowhere near me has it or ships it from what i can find).   I even checked Amazon and they don't have them.  It looks/sounds so good!!!  You guys have the best stuff.

This looks like fry bread. What’s the difference?  
 

mom did the bread dough fried in a skillet thing but she called it fried bread. It used a lot less oil than actual fry bread and is shaped more like a pancake than a beaver’s tail. 

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29 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

This looks like fry bread. What’s the difference?  
 

mom did the bread dough fried in a skillet thing but she called it fried bread. It used a lot less oil than actual fry bread and is shaped more like a pancake than a beaver’s tail. 

It’s sweet more like a donut or funnel cake in taste.  

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On 2/1/2024 at 3:01 PM, Terabith said:

Off topic but why are oats and flax and chia not healthy?

Oh, they are. The one and a half sticks of butter are the problem. A delicious, delicious problem:)

I was the only one who liked them, and I REALLY liked them. Too much, and had to throw them away finally because they were too much temptation for me while trying to lose weight. If I wasn’t dieting and the rest of the family was willing to eat their share they’d be fine. 

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2 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Oh, they are. The one and a half sticks of butter are the problem. A delicious, delicious problem:)

I was the only one who liked them, and I REALLY liked them. Too much, and had to throw them away finally because they were too much temptation for me while trying to lose weight. If I wasn’t dieting and the rest of the family was willing to eat their share they’d be fine. 

Do you have a recipe?  I am always looking for recipes to fatten up Pop!

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