Once upon a time in a galaxy far away, the search was on for a cure for blues. Turned into a global catastrophe, the blues sapped productivity and smiles everywhere you looked. Spending decades scouring the universe for an antidote, a depressed nation of aliens discovered that happiness comes in four flavors.
And they are all available at the IHOP – the international house of pancakes.
This well kept secret was passed from one generation to the next when I accidentally became a member of the secret sharer’s community courtesy of Mr. Saifi in southern California. Mama came over for a visit and wanted his fix of a three egg Spanish crepe with mushrooms and jalapenos and he wouldn’t consider any other location.
At the Orange County IHOP, right next to the John Wayne International Airport, after intensive research involving many afternoons and thousand of calories, Fawzia and I added our own contribution to the happiness theorem.
When you are really down and out and need an emergency dosage of that warm glow inside try the Cheese Blintzes with blue berries and whipped cream. If that doesn’t beat your case of blues, you should simply give up on the day, go home and sleep it off.
This Wednesday after spending ten days on the road and clocking 40,000 kilometers across two continents and 8 cities, imagine my joy when I spied an IHOP right next to my service apartment. Thirteen years later and a few pounds heavier, I can tell you that the cure still works.
Happiness comes in four flavors and they are still served at the IHOP – the 24 hour breakfast option when you need to feel the need to look back at a decade without pancakes.