Today's post is dedicated to XeRoFuN, a close friend much in my thoughts as of late. Get well soon!
Sometimes, work scheduling doesn't come off as smoothly as it should. You're left stranded in some city, far away from home... but it isn't worth going home and coming back for the actual shift several hours later. You gotta hang around.
What do you do? How can you waste four hours of your life without looking back?
You're probably going to find several things to do, because four hours is a lot. I went to the gym, drank a protein shake, and rested in my car as I waited patiently for my cell phone to recharge.
Still two hours to go. Had to bite the bullet. Finally, I decided to take up what I was discussing with a friend and attempt to go the distance with all-you-can-eat (AYCE) pancakes at Denny's.
It's not a bad deal at $4 - especially if you can eat more than four, since Denny's will gladly sell you two pancakes for $2. A little basic math helps sometimes.
They start you out with three cakes, then they're supposed to bring out two at a time until you're satiated with buttermilk goodness. The picture above is of the first round. They don't look particularly appealing, all disheveled with the butter running down, but they tasted the way good pancakes should: rich, fluffy, and not burned.
The next round of two looked significantly nicer... but I realized this was no way to test myself. If I was going to eat a lot of them, I'd need them to come out faster. So, taking advantage of the dead hour in the restaurant (it was 3:14 PM on a Monday and I was the only one ordering food), I asked the server if a steady stream of pancakes could come from the kitchen.
And how! Plates of four and two, with no trouble at all. I appreciated the prompt, efficient service in this Denny's location. When I finished this round, the server asked if I wanted more. The server surprised me by asking for a number to bring out. No doubt in her mind now that this food would be eaten!
Going for broke, I asked for.... 12. She didn't bat an eye either. Walked over to the kitchen and placed the order. Which is where the most comical part of this story comes in. I was seated next to the kitchen, within the earshot of some very bored short-order cooks (keeping in mind I was the only person ordering anything).
When the cook read the order for the dozen flapjacks, he said aloud: "This order must be to go."
"Oh, no," the server replied. "We got a customer sittin' in here eatin',"
I had to resist the urge to burst out laughing at what I heard next from the kitchen.
"What is this, an eating contest or something!?"
Ask, and ye shall receive! 12 pancakes at one time! A little burned, but still good enough to eat. Using liberal amounts of strawberry jam, I created what can best be described as really doughy strawberry shortcake.
I called it a day with a final round of two. Honestly, the taste of flour and buttermilk was starting to become repulsive. If this was a contest or actual challenge I would have pushed to the limit - but I had work later on, and this was mostly just to kill time.Receiving 25 pancakes in about a 40 minute span was remarkable too. Couldn't have done that during the breakfast rush!
(Sharp eyes will notice that the last photo is a repeat. My cell phone battery died so I couldn't snap that last picture)
Judging from nutritional info published online, this AYCE run provided me with roughly 3,500 calories and 500-600g of carbs. Pancakes aren't especially known for their protein content, but I managed to take in over 80g this way.
It sure felt like a good time to go for a run.
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Future note: the next post will include links to video footage of a powerhouse team destroying a 30" pizza in 6 minutes. Though I was not directly involved, it was incredibly impressive and an honor to be on hand with a camera.
