Hot cakes aren't selling like hot cakes
Drastic times still thought to call for drastic measures however
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Despite being an enduring idiom for healthy consumer demand, it seems hot cakes aren't the must-have dessert they once were.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, a Wikipedia redirect and this archived New York Times recipe, a hot cake is essentially just a pancake.
The phrase originated in the 1800s when simple cornmeal versions were sold at church bake sales and snapped up by the congregation before they went cold.
But in a modern market saturated by brownies, cronuts and other baked goods, the humble pancake is on the wane.
Bloomberg discovered that sales of pancake mix in the US have declined 1.5 percent in the last five years, and in the UK they remain exiled to Shrove Tuesday and underrepresented at street food events.
Hot cakes ain't so hot whatever way you slice it (I'm sorry), with Google Trends indicating that mentions of them online are also down, "selling like ramen" or "selling like quinoa" being a more accurate idiom.
So bear that in mind next time the phrase enters your mind. Robin Thicke albums are selling like hot cakes. Tickets to Fat Joe's marketing conference are selling like hot cakes.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments