Roma News & Views: The Roma Men’s Group bring the Roma pancake roll TikTok trend to life
A TikTok trend sparked something special in Govanhill, where the Roma Men’s Group came together to recreate a giant rolled pancake. What started as a viral video turned into a day of cooking, learning, and connection that celebrated culture, community, and creativity.
The Men’s Group ready to dig into the pancakes
By David Milosiu and Jan Mitro | Photos by Romano Lav
In the world of social media, it’s not uncommon to find viral trends that capture peoples attention. Viral videos can be so addictive, and when you finish one there is always another waiting. Social media is often isolating, keeping people apart from one another. But what happens when the hype around a viral video brings back people together in real life to create something new and wonderful? At the Govanhill Roma Men’s Group, that’s just what happened.
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Rolling up the giant pancake
It all started one evening when the members of the group, who come together to learn and socialise, were scrolling through TikTok. One video caught their eye – a Roma style pancake roll. The clip showed someone wrapping an oversized pancake around a load of fillings and rolling it into a tight burrito – it looked amazing! They found videos of others doing the same – creations of over 12 feet long full of delicious fillings. It looked like a lot of fun and the group set to planning their own event.
On the day of the event the men gathered at MILK’s community kitchen. The men divided themselves into groups where they all had a task to do – cutting the fruits, mixing the pancake batter and frying the pancakes. The men have been taking part in ESOL lessons during their time at the group, so this was also a learning session for them as they were introduced to new words in the cooking process.
After lots of cooking, rolling and decorating – the pancakes were done! The men had also invited their wives to the meal and finally everyone sat down together to relax and enjoy the delicious two metre long pancake – filled with strawberries, banana slices, grapes and some chocolate and cream too!
In our fast paced world, the Roma Govanhill Men’s Group proved that taking the time to make something silly, simple and shared can lead to long lasting memories. Maybe the next TikTok trend to go viral will be a local Govanhill creation – social media doesn’t have to be all bad. Used in the right way it can bring people together to create something great!
This digital trend brought the men’s group into the kitchen where they learned how to make pancakes, something which most of them had never done before. They feIt that there was a sense of togetherness, creativity, and the shared joy of doing something unexpected.
Two valuable lessons were learned in the process – try new things, and use social media to get together in real life!
The Govanhill Roma Men’s Group, open to men age 18+, currently meets on a weekly basis and provides much needed space for socialising and relaxation as well as skill building. Watch this space for a special woodworking cultural project with Rags To Riches! If you would like to join the group, please contact David at hello@romanolav.org or through the Romano Lav Facebook.