Goodness. Lately, there seems to be less hours in the day than there are hairs on Britney Spears head. Ahh… sorry, I just had to say it since everyone else is. Anyhow, what I mean is that due to time constraints and blah, blah, blah, I’ve missed or nearly missed any number of free food days here at Cheap Eats, the latest one being tomorrow (or probably today by the time you read this).

IHOP is celebrating National Pancake Day by handing out free short stacks of their pancakes. It’s only good ONE day, Feb. 20 , 2007 and you have to order up from between 7am and 10pm. One stack per visitor of course.

I know. It’s just a stack of pancakes, and a short one at that. They’ve helpfully approximated that you will receive 3 pancakes in your stack. But free is free, right? Here’s the thing though: you have to eat in, and when you order it I’m guessing they’re probably going to ask you to make a donation to support local children’s hospitals or other local charities. Let me see, here I am sitting in nice cozy IHOP eating free pancakes - do you think I’m going to be able to look them in the eye and say no to a donation like that? You’d have to be pretty heartless - or pretty poor.

Don’t get me wrong - of course it’s for a worthy cause. And probably tax deductible (?) But the topic here is Cheap Eats and if a short stack of pancakes is going to cost me $25 then you can count me out. I’d just as soon make a normal donation without having to involve a multi baggillion dollar company like IHOP, thank you very much.

Hm… this post is taking on the tone of a Hall Of Shame entry… I’d better run off to the kitchen and eat some leftover Chinese New Year’s tea eggs in order to un-grumblyize. If you do end up going down to IHOP for Pancake Day, let me know how it goes.