Charles Phoenix’s Slide of the Week: Breakfast Cheer and Pancakes, Los Angeles, CA, 1958

Twelve pancakes, about to be flipped, have just been remarkably well poured in a grid on a griddle. The cook, impeccably suited for the matter at hand in bleached whites finished with a snappy bowtie, has a spatula in hand, grin on his face and eyes on the bottle of beer in the hand of his less kempt pancake copilot. He looks to be on batter duty judging by the fact that he is standing before a generous stainless bowl of it. His look is that of a long sleeved paisley sport shirt and conversational apron stenciled with a caricature of himself at the moment.

Leafy vegetation, a moderately mod, two-slat-back, folding, wooden chair and a casually curled garden hose provide a lush backdrop, somewhere to sit and something to trip over. It?s a beautiful day in the backyard for a pancake breakfast. The barbeque is temporary. The bricks have no mortar holding them together. Oh how this inspires me to gather up a pile of used bricks and fashion a mortarless BBQ in my own backyard. When I do get my bricks organized in such a fashion I do hope I’m as well dressed as at least one of these two flapjacks!

There is something so special about being sociable over pancakes no matter what time of day it is or what size they are. Small, medium, large or silver dollar, dressed in real salted butter melted with syrup fresh from the sap of a Vermont maple, is a starchy, sugary, fatty Americana taste treat sensation of the highest order! Served alongside thick smoky bacon and farm fresh eggs any style reminds me of when I was a kid and we would occasionally, on a cold winter night, have breakfast for dinner, in the kitchen of course. If it?s too late in the season to have a backyard PANCAKE BREAKFAST CHEER PARTY have it inside during evening hours and call it the BREAKFAST FOR DINNER PARTY. But make sure not to forget the breakfast cheer!

Here’s to the cook, his co-pilot, mortarless BBQ’s, pancake cheer and YOU!

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Charles Phoenix Presents…
HALLOWEEN at the BOB BAKER MARIONETTE THEATER

• A Halloween Puppet Show Spooktacular featuring dozens of amazing vintage hand-made marionettes…
• Your host, Charles Phoenix, tells the story of Bob’s colorful life and career with vintage slides and classic film and TV clips….
• Cake & ice cream in the party room will follow the main event – an appearance by the Master himself!

Bob Baker Marionette Theater
Thurs Oct 29 & Fri Oct 30 @ 8pm

Tickets are $35; click here for more information.