The burning question: waffles or pancakes?

I just read an interesting post on Washington Post's Wonkblog, shared via Facebook by Real Simple. 

Here's the premise: Waffle House is heavily preferred in the South, though it's been slowly creeping north. You won't find one in Michigan though, and where you don't find it may be affected by franchising laws. IHOP rules here, supposedly. 
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But apparently that's mostly in three major areas: southeast Michigan's tricounty area as  well as the Lansing and Grand Rapids areas. 

The rest are probably scattered in decent-sized population pockets (I do know there's one in Saginaw and another in Mt. Pleasant, for example. Both have colleges in town or nearby, though, so that may account for IHOP's presence.) 


My father likes both, but he did live in southern Ohio for a while. I usually prefer pancakes, but as a kid, loved the Belgian waffles Big Boy served with strawberries and whipped cream.

So do you follow the trend that's implied in the article and prefer pancakes? Or do you like waffles better? Please leave a message in the comments!

Product Review: Van's Waffles

I wanted waffles one day. I didn't want to make them and I wanted something healthier than Eggos.

So, as I walked through the frozen section, I saw Van's waffles. I have one word of caution: do not thaw them before toasting (either in a toaster or a toaster oven). The result is not pretty and led to a thorough cleaning of the toaster, something I do as infrequently as possible without causing burnt toast.

So far, I have tried two kinds of Van’s waffles: Wheat/Gluten Free Totally Natural waffles and Organic Flax waffles. (These links include nutritional information.) Both are excellent spread with peanut butter and topped with a little maple syrup. I generally limit myself to one waffle. The peanut butter helps to ensure I'm not hungry for a while. I shouldn't even mention how good they are with Turtle Mountain's Purely Decadent Soy Delicious non-dairy frozen dessert in Cherry Nirvana. It's your call whether or not to try it.