The greatest outdoor show on earth
Friday, July 4, 2008 | 12:19 AM ET
by Andree Lau, CBCnews.ca
I can't cook pancakes. Made from scratch or out of the box, it doesn't matter. I will either burn or undercook them without fail. That's why I look forward to the week and a half in July when I can enjoy all the perfectly cooked pancakes I can eat — and free, to boot.
The phenomenon known as the Calgary Stampede breakfast began during the 1923 event. According to one account, a young chuckwagon driver who camped at the train station would have friends visit him during breakfast, and they would eventually invite visitors to join them.
Miss Alberta Petite helps flip pancakes at the CBC Calgary Stampede breakfast. (Andree Lau/CBC)
Today, the breakfasts are a much-anticipated tradition hosted by corporations and community groups at the same time as the Stampede, which bills itself as the greatest outdoor show on earth.
This year, there are no less than 49 pancake breakfasts between now and July 13.
The majority are handled by the Stampede Caravan Committee, a group of volunteers, who ensure the pancakes are fluffy, the sausages hot, and the coffee plentiful. All this under the sun in front of scorching griddles — and with big smiles.
The breakfasts bring all sorts of people together in the pursuit of free flapjacks and you don't even have to step foot on the Stampede grounds to get a taste of that famous western hospitality.
Cowboy hats are optional.
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From trends and culture to politics and nutrition, Food Bytes serves up tasty tidbits about food and the issues surrounding it that flavour our everyday lives.
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Amber Hildebrandt writes for CBCNews.ca in Toronto. Growing up on a farm in Manitoba, she acquired an insatiable appetite, but it was during a stint in Japan that she developed her discerning tastebuds and "foodie" ways.
Andrea Chiu is an associate producer at CBC Radio Digital. Though she loves to eat, cook and discuss food,
don't ask her to bake. It never turns out well. She tweets as @TOfoodie on Twitter and organizes food and wine events in Toronto called FoodieMeet.
Tara Kimura is the consumer life reporter for CBCNews.ca, covering a wide range of issues that range from rising food costs and the growing organic movement, to new trends in the marketplace.
Andree Lau is a CBC web reporter in Calgary. Her journalism career includes seven years as a CBC-TV reporter. Her own blog called "are you gonna eat that?" chronicles her eating adventures (including sampling snake and camel hoof tendon).
Jessica Wong is a CBCNews.ca writer who loves to eat and cook, as well as discuss, read and watch programming about food, sometimes all at once.
Kevin Yarr, CBCNews.ca's writer in Prince Edward Island, wrote about food and beer for national and regional magazines before joining the CBC. He acquired a desire for new tastes on his first trip to Europe, and an appreciation of eating locally and in season when he finally settled down on P.E.I.
Elizabeth Bridge is a writer with the CBC Digital Archives in Toronto. She first ventured into the kitchen as a child to indulge a sweet tooth by baking cookies and making fudge. A student budget compelled her to be a vegetarian (for a while) and instilled in her an ongoing curiosity about food and cooking.
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Comments
Wendy
Calgary
Stampede Parade.
This is the third year in a row that I have attended the Stampede Parade with my two young children. While my children thoroughly enjoyed the parade, and now look forward to it every year, I must say that I found it very long and mostly boring. The few floats that were in the parade were very plain and not memorable. My favourite part of any parade are the marching bands. Of the 20 or so marching bands involved in the parade, only a handful actually played as they were marching by our location. The crowd cheered loudly for the original Stampede Queen and the Military contingent, and deservedly so. I do not remember any other part of the parade that prompted a loud cheer. The rest of the parade seemed filled with people waving from either horses, chuck wagons, or cars. Is there any way that we can encourage sponsors, etc. to spend more money on creating more impressive floats or attracting more marching bands? Perhaps have larger cash prizes for floats? I am thinking of all the tourists that attend the parade each year. Surely we can put on a better parade than this given all the money that is made from the Stampede each year. Am I the only person that feels this way about the parade?
Posted July 4, 2008 03:38 PM
Shane
Calgary
Or you could quit complaining and enjoy the wonderful show that is put on every year.
Or you could get your complaining ass out of the chair and do something. But I doubt that'd happen - another whining Calgary yuppie.
Posted July 5, 2008 11:31 AM
Gen
Montreal
Wow. Go figure someone would find something to whine about.
Totally agree with Shane - this person is a hypocrite.
Posted July 5, 2008 10:01 PM
Lisa
Fredericton
Wow, it seems shane and Gen might not be whiners but they are bitter about something, negativity just to be negative now that is better. Maybe wendy was bringing forward ideas for change and improvement. Last I checked looking to improve things isn't whining. If you are happy to accept status qou and mediocrity may you get what you ask for.
Posted July 7, 2008 06:10 AM
Super Mom
edmonton
I have been going to the parades here in Edmonton for years with my kids and my friends kids and before that my sibling and I will tell you it is shameful when compared to the parades in the states like the Macy Day with all the huge floats and balloons!
Posted July 7, 2008 01:07 PM