Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASHINGTON — The Beatles have been immortalized in many ways, but maybe not in such a tasty way as Nathan Shields’ pancake art.
An illustrator, math teacher and father of two has been getting attention for his pancake creations he calls “Saipancakes” that he posts to his YouTube page. The video, created about two months ago, is getting traction now, and it’s no wonder why after watching him quickly make caricatures using the unusual medium of pancake batter.
On his blog, Shields says the name Saipancakes comes from his family’s time in Saipan when he began playing with the idea. Using a condiments bottle, a spatula and a nonstick pan, Shields draws everything from a dozen different beetles to The Beatles to seasonal skulls.
Shields and his father have also created a sort of spirograph that has different gears to fit into a piece that connects to the edge of a frying pan. They are still tweaking the tool, but the results were about as good as my 5-year-old attempts at the original toy.
Perhaps the best part of Shields’ YouTube channel though, is the reactions from his kids about the pancakes. During one experiment with pancake batter and a pendulum, his son Gryphon asks, “What is that? A giant space pancake?”