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not smoking. Working in batches of three, pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake into the hot skillet and cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the undersides are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a large plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm, then make more pancakes, brushing or spraying the skillet with oil for each batch.
    Serve with sliced bananas and maple syrup.

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pancakes
    MAKES SIX 6- TO 7-INCH PANCAKES OR TEN 4-INCH ONES
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    I know. Chocolate for breakfast. Reserve this one for special occasions like Valentine’s Day, or don’t, just go ahead and be decadent. Serve with Strawberry Sauce (page 240) or fresh raspberries and maple syrup.
    1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    3 tablespoons cocoa powder
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    Â½ teaspoon salt
    â…“ cup water
    1 to 1¼ cups rice or soy milk
    2 tablespoons canola oil
    3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Â½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
    â…“ cup semisweet chocolate chips
    Canola oil or cooking spray for pan
    In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the water, rice milk, oil, maple syrup, and extracts. Mix until just combined, fold in chocolate chips.
    Oil and preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
    If making large pancakes, use a ladle to pour the batter into the pan; most standard ladles will yield a 6-inch pancake. For smaller pancakes, drop batter by ¼ cupfuls into pan. Cook until bubbles form on top, about 3 minutes. Turn pancakes over and cook until bottoms are browned and the pancakes are cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Serve immediately or keep warm on a plate covered with foil while you cook the others. Repeat with remaining batter.

    Waking up to Mom
    I wouldn’t call my mother a saint, but she certainly put up with quite a bit during my adolescence. When my sister and I reached our mid-teens we took to hanging out on the Lower East Side (LES) rather than on Sheepshead Bay, where we lived, because we grew tired of the comments and stuff people threw at us from their car windows.
    The LES was a safe place, where we could wander the streets ’til the sun came up. We met people from all over who had traveled to New York to fight in the revolution of the time—fixing up and building the squats, keeping the police at bay, and trying to lay claim to a place of their own. Sometimes we brought the LES back with us to Sheepshead Bay, either because there was a demonstration coming up and we needed to paint banners in the basement or because we managed to bring the punks out to Brighton Beach for a late night party and dip in the water.
    In the morning, my mom would awake to a dozen or so strange people scattered about, some in the living room, some making breakfast in the kitchen. “Mom,” I would say, “This is Larry, this is Vegan Mike, this is Happy Mike, this is Dirtbag Mike.” She’d politely smile and then ask to see me in her room, where she’d promptly slam the door and yell:
    â€œDirtbag Mike! I have to wake up to Dirtbag Mike?!” (While she had closed the door for privacy, you know the punks were cringing as her voice ripped through the house.)
    â€œWell, yes, but there’s also Happy Mike.” (Did she have a problem looking at the bright side?)
    Expletives would follow. Scrambled tofu was left to burn as my mom geared into the business of throwing everyone out. Usually not everyone left. The wise ones knew that if they waited out the storm, the sun would come out and my mom would either cook us all tofu balls and spaghetti or order cheeseless pizza for the brave stragglers who remained. Such was life in Sheepshead Bay in the late ’80s. We didn’t know at the time