“At midnight, we ate boxed dinners of fried chicken and arepas, a kind of cornmeal griddlecake.”

“I cooked pancakes on the griddle by pouring the batter onto the hot surface and flipping them until they were golden brown.”

“Sometimes called battercakes, griddlecakes or flapjacks, they are usually leavened with baking powder and served with syrup.”

“I found the meal had been ordered-showers of eggs, griddlecakes, sausages-and he kept a stern eye on me, making sure that I had put them all down.”