The trick is not to make sweet pancakes - just eggs, flour, milk, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, and vanilla. And, per Fran, et al., crepe style. paul spencer
The teensiest drizzle on pancakes (proper ones), however, with a generous squeezing of lemon juice...mmmmmm....
Fake American syrup is just fine, and I quite like it. I love slathering it over thick whole grain blueberry pancakes, for a massive shocking sweetness. I love sweet things.
But sadly, real Maple Syrup is becoming more and more popular, and more and more common at restaurants in the US. Given the massive snob quotient that comes with it, I get some odd looks when asking if I can get some fake/regular syrup instead of the maple.