So as is traditional for these kind of things, this is my official “Hello, World!” post. I’m Chris, and I’m the Waffle Dad. There’s a bunch of things that I could say about myself, but really the tagline kind of sums up what this site is about. I’m a dad – well, technically I’m going to be a dad very soon – who has made a commitment to make waffles every week for his family. Mind you, I know pretty much nothing about making waffles.
My waffle experience begins and ends with frozen Eggo waffles.
So this is going to be a bit of an adventure, and a learning experience. And because I’m such a big nerd, I’m planning to approach it fairly scientifically. There will be ample experimentation. And I’m sure there will be terrible failures. I suspect my wife and (as-yet-unborn) child will likely get sick of waffles, but I plan to stay the course.
Why am I doing this?
Who doesn’t love a good waffle?
That could be reason enough, but there’s more to it. I’m doing this for family, really. My wife (E) and I are expecting a baby girl in July. Cue cheering and muppet flailing in equal measure.
Growing up, my own parents worked really hard, long hours. My mom was an on-call doctor who had to rush to the hospital whenever an emergency cropped up, and my dad traveled extensively for his job building his businesses. And what I remember – particularly of my young childhood – are the family routines that we established.
For us, that was dinner every weeknight. We’d eat dinner (granted, the food wasn’t very good because my mother was – and is – a horrific cook at the best of times) and watch the evening news. Some of my earliest memories were of that experience, and we made sure to do that until I moved out of the house.
I want to give my soon-to-arrive daughter a memory to cherish, something that is quirky and weird and loving, but indelibly a feature of our family. There will be more things like that, I’m sure. I’d be terrible father if the only memory she brings with her to adulthood is a once-a-week meal. But I want to make Sunday morning waffles a fun experience that she looks back on fondly when she’s a fully baked adult and long out of the house (knowing full well that in her teenage years she will probably hate Sunday morning waffles, hate waffles in general, and hate me in particular – that goes with the teenage territory, I’ve been given to understand).
Plus, who doesn’t love a good waffle?
How will it work?
I’m going to make waffles once a week.
That’s it.
Every Sunday (or depending on the vagaries of life and scheduling, possibly on a Saturday or possibly on a Monday), I’m going to prepare a batch of waffles. I’ll take some pictures. We’ll eat them. And I’ll share some thoughts about the experience and my notes regarding the experiment.
Is it possible to sustain a weekly blog about waffles for probably a couple decades? I don’t know yet. I think yes, because waffles are about the most versatile food imaginable. You can prepare all different kinds of waffles, serve them with all different accoutrements, serve them for different meals, prepare them to varying degrees of doneness, etc.
But we’ll have to see.
I’ll be aiming to post every Monday, and I plan to be pretty diligent about it. But again, life (and especially the vagaries of life with a newborn…which is coming in a few short weeks) might get in the way. And I won’t stress over that.
If you’re reading this post, odds are you’re part of my extended family and friends. And if you’ve just come to this blog because the internet led you here, then guess what? You’ve joined my group of extended friends! Welcome to the club, please feel free to comment or follow me on the socials.
I hope you’ll stick around, and I hope you enjoy my (mis)adventures in the world of waffles.