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Of course, critics missed the entire point. Johanna Rhodes wasn’t serving dinner guests at a trendy restaurant. She was making sure eight people had a hot meal without wasting a single ingredient.
From Pioneer Frugality to European Tradition
While some mocked the recipe, others recognized it instantly.
“That’s flädlesuppe,” one Reddit user explained. “Traditional German and Austrian comfort food.”
And suddenly the puzzle clicked. What sounded strange to American foodies was actually Old World practicality. Immigrants brought these recipes with them when they came to the United States to build, not tear down, this country.
California chef Jessica Randhawa told Fox News Digital that her family discovered flädlesuppe during a 2023 trip to Europe.⁵ Her nine-year-old son loved it so much he ordered it multiple times in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Imagine that — a child appreciating real food instead of processed junk from a drive-thru.
Traditionally, Europeans used leftover crêpes in broth so nothing went to waste. Rhodes adapted it to America’s reality in the 1970s. She swapped crêpes for ordinary pancake batter, added nutmeg, and cooked in bacon grease. Practical. Affordable. Delicious.
What This Recipe Says About America
Here’s why the backlash matters. It shows how far we’ve fallen.
In 1975, a homemaker like Johanna Rhodes could stretch flour, eggs, bacon fat, and bouillon cubes to feed eight mouths. No food bloggers. No critics. Just a family meal that worked.
Compare that with today, where a single Starbucks latte costs more than what Johanna probably spent feeding her entire household.
Instead of appreciating the resourcefulness, commenters online suggested “upgrades” — store-bought crêpes, artisan broths, fresh herbs. Missing the point entirely. The beauty of the dish was its simplicity.
One user actually got it: “Great way to feed a family on next to nothing.”
People Who Still Remember
Not everyone joined the food-snob chorus. Some defended the recipe.
“I could eat this every day,” one person said. “It is a way to use up leftover pancakes and resembles a noodle soup.”⁷
That’s what real cooking is about: stretching ingredients, wasting nothing, and taking care of your family.
A Legacy That Still Matters
Rhodes probably never dreamed that her little recipe from a 1975 community cookbook would resurface half a century later. But here we are — still debating it, still talking about feeding families without breaking the bank.
Half of today’s critics sneer because they’ve never had to stretch a meal to feed eight people. The other half recognize the truth — that frugal, hearty cooking built strong families and strong communities.
And maybe, just maybe, a simple bowl of pancake soup is reminding America of something we desperately need to recover: common sense in the kitchen, and gratitude for the people who came before us.
That’s a legacy worth defending.
