It was Shrove Tuesday in the U.K. yesterday , which is better known to every school kid here , since time in memorial as - Pancake Day :)
This age old tradition consists of parents feeding their offspring a high - fat / cholesterol / sugar - diet of pancakes ( like a crepe ) , much to the screaming outrage of the obesity police :) , and then having the ultimate audacity , to allow them to have races carrying cold pancakes in the pans , which is much to the horror of the health and safety killjoys :)
Elsewhere - including my own region , we have other , even more strange customs - which are also carried out on this particular day…………………..
This normally consists of anything goes “football” matches , which originate from the 12th century , and usually involves - a large screaming mob , two goals several miles apart , and the “pitch” itself , well that’s through - both town and over the rivers and muddy fields of the countryside , in all weathers .So you can just imagine the ensuing chaos , carnage and injuries which happen in all the name of sport - kind of like a more violent version of the Pamplona Bull Run :)
Now - strangely enough nobody ever complains about the football , and this is probably because - telling a baying mob they can’t have their game , will probably get your head used as the ball !!! ------ especially in the more countrified areas :)
We English may come across as calm and reserved lot , but mess with our violent traditions …at your own peril …..:)
