TheBanyanTree: Fear of Pancakes

[A. Christopher Hammon]

I'm with you on the milk, Monique. Even as a kid, I only wanted it on 
cereal. But there was one exception. When I was in the Navy back in the 
early 1970s, we did an eight month deployment to the Western Pacific to 
spend a lot of time pinging our sonars in the South China Sea and 
various other forms of sightseeing along the coast of Vietnam. The last 
real milk that we took on board was in Pearl Harbor; after Hawaii it was 
all reconstituted. Not that it really made any difference to me since I 
didn't drink milk and didn't even eat much cereal then. But not having 
access to it left me with this desire for a glass of real milk again 
when we hit Hawaii on the way back to San Diego. I remember thinking 
about it for days as we made our way across the Pacific. The images of 
anticipation that dominated my mind would make for a great "Got Milk" 
commercial. The first thing I did in Hawaii was head out to get a glass 
of real milk. But, alas, even then it was a disappointment and I recall 
not finishing it.

In college people kept trying to convince me that milk and cookies were 
a wonderful combination that I needed to at least try. Well, I always 
try foods and various combinations; but I still prefer tea and cookies 
or coffee and cookies ... particularly the cookies. In seminary I was 
introduced to Thomas Merton's old favorite, scotch and fig newtons; 
that's a nice combination. But being in a Kentucky seminary at the time, 
bourbon seemed the more appropriate choice (Bardstown and Gethsemane are 
in close proximity and our local bicycle club does an annual Sacred and 
Profane ride that visits the monastery at Gethsemane and the 
distilleries of Bardstown).

Pancakes, on the other hand, have become comfort food; although I really 
didn't like them as a kid. Twenty years ago when I was doing a lot of 
photography up in Maine, especially around Acadia National Park, for a 
couple of videos I produced, I would stay at this B&B across Frenchman's 
Bay from Bar Harbor. I had stumbled upon it quite by accident my first 
trip up. I had flown in during a blizzard and could actually get across 
to Mt. Desert Island where Bar Harbor is located. So I started calling 
places and ended up at the B&B in Lamoine, where the owners turned out 
to be great consultants to me for the area and the photography that I 
was doing. What really sealed the deal, though, was that Molly was so 
concerned about sending me off with a good breakfast, even though I was 
leaving every morning before 4:30 am to be on location for the sunrise, 
that she got up and fixed these incredible whole wheat blueberry 
pancakes with real maple syrup.

I still look at whole wheat blueberry pancakes, with coffee please, as 
comfort food. And even though I have since stacked other fine memories 
around whole wheat blueberry pancakes in various parts of the northeast, 
I always think back to some fine mornings and some great conversations 
in Maine.

Cheers,
Chris



/_________________________________________
A. Christopher Hammon, D.Min.
Director of Online Learning and Publication //
Wayne E. Oates Institute
Integrating Spirituality, Ethics, and Health
http://www.oates.org/

/Affiliate Faculty, Doctor of Ministry Program
Drew University's Theological School/