Crêpes!

Who can argue with crêpes? Dress 'em up, dress 'em down, sweet or savory, there's surely a crepe for everyone. My younger child is partial to the lemon flavored variety, hot off the griddle from the fellow on the street, or anything with an oeuf miroir (sunny side up) in the middle. My older has to have something with chocolate. And me? I like the savory ones, particularly when they are good and crisp, oozing with any kind of cheese.

So if you're pondering what to have for dinner tonight, think no further. February 2nd is the French holiday of Chandeleur and crêpes are the order of the day. The origins are pagan but like many pagan festivals, it was eventually pre-empted by the Christians who designated it as the time to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. But the religious part seems to have fallen by the wayside in modern day France where churchgoing Catholics are few and far between. The woman who was my French teacher the year we arrived shrugged when I asked her about the origins and put it this way: "it was the day my grandfather always used to make crêpes." Can't argue with that.