For C.E. Pancake

National Pancake Week vs. Valentine's Day by Andrew Chang

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The one day of the year when online dating services see a 15% spike in revenue, and when everyone ends the day in a drunken frenzy of chocolate gorging. Oh, and love takes its turn in the spotlight, of course: when the residents of the estimated 27 million single households smile weakly and when couples worldwide force a bit of obligatory affection, of course. Fortunately, this year, you have the opportunity to take into consideration a lesser-known holiday similarly known for its sweetness—but without the characteristic bitterness of a relationship. I present to you National Pancake Week.

National Pancake Week, running this year from February 14 to 20, is preferable to Valentine’s Day for a two reasons. First, the universal appeal of pancakes means that everyone will be satisfied. It is critical to realize that love brings quite a cornucopia of suffering—with the divorce rate climbing steadily over 50% in America, it’s no wonder that we’ve lost that loving feeling as a society. Valentine’s Day theoretically rewards those with relationships but at the same time punishes those without them. Instead of trying to celebrate what brings us the most pain, we ought to celebrate that which brings us the most joy. This is where pancakes are clearly the desirable option.

But secondly, we also need to realize that the corporatization of love may in fact punish those who are in love most. It’s too quick an assumption to make that Valentine’s Day is a haven for couples. Quite the contrary; days like these come with reciprocal obligations for people in relationships to show how much they care. In a day where giving expensive gifts is the norm, men are left with no other option than to express their love with some sort of gift, for fear of being called insensitive or unloving. A mandatory contest of “who can spend the most money” is quite the opposite of what a holiday should be. Fortunately for us, pancakes are incredibly cheap, and if you are in a relationship and want to opt out because of monetary concerns, it’s likely that you won’t get in trouble.

In the end, it’s massively important to stop tricking ourselves. Even if you’re not categorically opposed to a mushy-holiday-turned-profit-motive, it’s quite obvious that the more preferable choice comes in the form of a stack of pancakes. For it is pancakes that represents what America truly loves: warmth and comfort. And it is Valentine’s Day that represents what America doesn’t need: another corporate holiday.

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The one day of the year when online dating services see a 15% spike in revenue, and when everyone ends the day in a drunken frenzy of chocolate gorging. Oh, and love takes its turn in the spotlight, of course: when the residents of the estimated 27 million single households smile weakly and when couples worldwide force a bit of obligatory affection, of course [repetitive]. Fortunately, this year, you have the opportunity to take into consideration a lesser-known holiday similarly known for its sweetness—- but without the characteristic bitterness [I don't think the word bitterness quite fits?] of a relationship. I present to you National Pancake Week.

National Pancake Week, running this year from Feb. 14 to 20, is preferable to Valentine’s Day for a [delete] two reasons. First, the universal appeal of pancakes means that everyone can be satisfied. It is critical to realize that love brings quite a cornucopia of suffering—with the divorce rate climbing steadily over 50% in America, it’s no wonder that we’ve lost that loving feeling as a society. Valentine’s Day theoretically rewards those with relationships while at the same time punishing those without them. Instead of trying to celebrate what brings us the most pain, we ought to celebrate that which brings us the most joy. This is where pancakes are clearly the desirable option.

But secondly, we also need to realize that the corporatization of love may in fact punish those who are in love most. It’s too quick an assumption to make that Valentine’s Day is a haven for couples. Quite the contrary; days like these come with reciprocal obligations for people in relationships to show how much they care. In a day where giving expensive gifts is the norm, men are left with no other option than to express their love with some sort of gift, for fear of being called insensitive or unloving. A mandatory contest of “who can spend the most money” is quite the opposite of what a holiday should be. Fortunately for us, pancakes are incredibly cheap, and if you are in a relationship and want to opt out because of monetary concerns, it’s likely that you won’t get in trouble.

In the end, it’s massively important to stop tricking ourselves. Even if you’re not categorically opposed to a mushy-holiday-turned-profit-motive, it’s quite obvious that the more preferable choice comes in the form of a stack of pancakes. For it is pancakes that represents what America truly loves: warmth and comfort. And it is Valentine’s Day that represents what America doesn’t need: another corporate holiday.

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The one day of the year when online dating services see a 15% spike in revenue, and when everyone ends the day in a drunken frenzy of chocolate gorging. Oh, and love takes its turn in the spotlight, of course: when the residents of the estimated 27 million single households cringe inwardly and when couples worldwide force a bit of obligatory affection. Fortunately, this year, you have the opportunity to take into consideration a lesser-known holiday similarly known for its sweetness—but without the characteristic harms of a relationship. I present to you National Pancake Week.
National Pancake Week, running this year from Feb. 14 to 20, is preferable to Valentine’s Day for two reasons. First, the universal appeal of pancakes means that everyone can be satisfied. It is critical to realize that love brings quite a cornucopia of suffering—with the divorce rate climbing steadily over 50% in America, it’s no wonder that we’ve lost that loving feeling as a society. Valentine’s Day theoretically rewards those with relationships…but it suffers the unintended effect of punishing those without them. Instead of trying to celebrate what brings us the most pain, we ought to celebrate that which brings us the most joy. This is where pancakes are clearly the desirable option.
But secondly, we also need to realize that the corporatization of love may in fact punish those who are in love most. It’s too quick an assumption to make that Valentine’s Day is a haven for couples. Quite the contrary; days like these come with reciprocal obligations for people in relationships to show how much they care. In a day where giving expensive gifts is the norm, men are left with no other option than to express their love with some sort of gift, for fear of being called insensitive or unloving. A mandatory contest of “who can spend the most money” is quite the opposite of what a holiday should be. Fortunately for us, pancakes are incredibly cheap, and if you want to opt out of National Pancake Week because of monetary concerns, you probably won’t get in trouble.
In the end, the only thing that’s massively important is that we stop tricking ourselves. Even if you’re not categorically opposed to a mushy-holiday-turned-profit-motive, it’s quite obvious that the more preferable choice of holiday comes in the form of National Pancake Week. For it is the favorite breakfast item of many that represents what America truly loves: warmth and comfort—Mom, home, the family, and a full stomach. Pancakes are reminiscent of many different things for many different people, but apart from the occasional freak accident, none of these differing interpretations of pancake imagery take a negative spin.
And who knows? National Pancake Week may even be able to achieve the same endgoal as Valentine’s Day. After all, a stack of pancakes begins with a bowl of batter, best mixed and prepared by two—and a breakfast so tediously prepared wouldn’t taste as good without someone to share it with. On a larger municipal level, citywide pancake breakfasts have the ability to bring people together from all around the city to partake in a shared delight. Look no further than the Arcadia Firefighter’s Association Pancake Breakfast. And on the national level? IHOP’s celebration of National Pancake Week brings the country together to support local childrens’ hospitals in exchange for delicious pancakes.
So in the battle between broken hearts and raising money for heart disease, the latter has to be the victor. The happiness inherent in Valentine’s Day is fleeting—short-lived at best. And it represents everything that America doesn’t need: another well-intentioned, horribly-applied corporate holiday.

Fortunately for us, pancakes are incredibly cheap, and if you want to opt out of National Pancake Week because of monetary concerns, you probably won’t get in trouble. are you saying that if you don't want to do pancakes because of expense issues, you won't get in trouble? if so, you should add an "even" before "if"-- but if that's not what you mean, I don't see what this sentence is saying...

Also, while I liked the new conclusion (very nice supportive facts), I thought the final sentences were kind of depressing? the beginning was dark enough; i don't think you need a negative ending as well.... but thats only a personal opinion (: