Get Free Pancakes on Pancake Day

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or the day after Collop Monday, or the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, or Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, or whatever you want to call it. The important part is that it’s also Pancake Day, and IHOP is offering one free short stack of pancakes until 10:00 PM local time. Why is today Pancake Day?

According to Wikipidia, “the reason that pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent is that the 40 days of Lent form a period of liturgical fasting, during which only the plainest foodstuffs can be eaten. Therefore, rich ingredients such as eggs, milk, sugar and flour are disposed of immediately prior to the commencement of the fast. Pancakes were therefore the perfect way of using up these perishable goods, besides providing a minor celebratory feast prior to the fast itself.”

Who cares? It’s Pancake Day! Now go and claim your free short stack.