I agree, we are culturally backward, pancakes are good, but Mardis Gris, .. the week preceding lent is needed for eating all the food in my lada.. need longer to prepare, and more fun in doing it, we're such slackers we brits, so half hearted and crap...

well, it's a bit late, but i fear an historical clarifcation needs to be made. the season of pre-lent celebration is actually 17 days long, and it concludes on pancake day - or mardis gras as most of the world knows it. before the reformation, the english commonly made a big deal out of it, and pancakes were more like what spanish omlettes are today: the larder was literally emptied into the pan and fried away. there are lots of local traditions which stem to this time too. when the puritans came to power, however, they did away with all this feasting and we were left with the boring celebration we have now. pancake day traditions are dictatorian state-sponsored forced fun; invent your own fun i say.