Before I had a steam convection oven with 76 pre-programmed settings, a digital kitchen scale, and an auto-timer on the kitchen fan there were recipes where the measurements were coffee cups, pinch, dollop, and a splash. That was a time when real coffee cups were used; the ones with a thin edge and a slender ear, sitting on a saucer. Not mugs.
An acquaintance with knowledge of the car sales trade in California, tells me that a lot of European cars are deselected in the US because they lack holders for the giant thermo mugs, which are as obligatory as safety belts in the Golden State. I admit to also owning one of the huge thermo mugs, bought in support of the Sacramento Youth Symphony.
When my dad was a temporarily baching it and longed for pancakes, he called his sister-in-law and asked for the recipe (this is before one could ask Uncle Google). His culinary abilities hitherto had almost included boiling water.
“You take a couple of eggs and a splash of milk, a pinch of salt and then you whisk in a dollop of melted butter and mix in flour until you get a suitably thick batter”, said auntie Ebba.
He ended up with enough pancakes for the entire neighborhood!
