Thursday, February 21, 2013

Hungarian Folktales and Pancakes


Yesterday I had to return Folktales of Hungary to the library.  I had used up all my renewals; I had to finish up my research and give the book back.  We had skipped a concert on Tuesday so I could finish up my notes.  Yesterday, I focused on stories classified under such headings as Local Legends, Animal stories, stories about Hussars, and Lying.  I finished around five o’clock, skimming the final few sections of Linda Degh’s collection.  Then my wife and I drove to the library, and dropped the book off on our way to dinner.

It had been awhile since we enjoyed Denny's pancakes, so we opted for their All You Can Eat special.  As the waiters presented us with perfectly cooked buttermilk pancakes, my wife told me about her day, and I told her a little of what I had learned about the history and culture of Hungary.  I would never have thought to study the country, had I not enjoyed Steven Brust’s novels so much.  Now I have a better understanding of his beloved protagonist Vlad Taltos, as well as the Hungarian fairy tale he included in The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars.

So carried away were we with our conversation that it took us awhile to realize that we had eaten more than our normal serving.  Sure, pancakes aren’t particularly high in calories, and we had worked out this morning.  Yes, we had watched our intake today, knowing we’d be visiting Denny’s tonight, and we were using sugar-free syrup.  Still, a feeling of heaviness overtook me after as I ate.  My body seemed to be bloating, even though pancakes don’t usually give me gas.  And my head and back began to ache, as I hunched over my plate.  So I stood up to stretch, and the table flew up, scattering our plates to the floor.  I heard a loud cracking sound, and suddenly I was staring out at the stars overlooking San Diego Bay.

When my wife rose, she too broke through the roof.  We didn’t want to risk lowering our necks through the shattered wood, so we crawled out the broken roof, and dropped the money for our meals to the waiter who stared up at us.  Then we headed for the parking lot, but we had grown so tall, that each step carried us several blocks.  By the time we stopped our momentum, we stood in San Diego Bay, and we noticed waves crashing through the normally calm waters, and several boats overturned and sinking.  We saw the lights and heard the sirens of the harbor police, and so we took off through the water, keeping along the shore and ahead of the boats. 

Perhaps we shouldn’t have run after eating so many pancakes, but we felt suffused with energy.  Growing wet from sweat, water, and spray, we ran through the darkness, evading the boats, helicopters, and planes that regularly pursued us.  When my wife signaled she was getting tired, we climbed ashore.  Those dining and partying on the beach didn’t look at us strangely, so we realized that we must have burned off all the extra calories and resumed our former size.  We decided to round off the evening with dessert in a beachfront restaurant.  From other diners’ conversations, and the address printed on the back of the menu, we learned we were in Puerto Vallarta.  So we took a taxi to the airport, and caught a late-night flight back home.

The next time we visit Denny’s, we’ll plan our dinner with a little more forethought.  We really need to enjoy their All You Can Eat Pancakes on a Friday evening, so we can spend the entire weekend in such an exotic locale.  Isn’t it amazing how travel can expand the mind, and yet shrink the body?

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries
The Power of Pancakes
The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars


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