Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I don't know how we chose the foods that are supposed to be for breakfast.

Home again, with the luxury of my own kitchen and my own electric kettle and my own espresso machine. I always claim that I am not materialistic, but admit that having certain gadgets fills my heart with joy.

The refrigerator was empty after six weeks away, so I picked up essentials on way home: dog food, milk, bread, eggs, turkey. Rather than make eggs this morning -- because I am still very tired -- I am having a turkey sandwich, which feels like I'm getting away with something.

Why is this? Why don't Americans eat turkey sandwiches for breakfast? We eat other meats; we eat bread. And conversely, why does it feel like an event to have pancakes or waffles or bacon for any meal besides breakfast? How did Americans get to a collective agreement on the appropriate foods for breakfast?

I do know some of the history of how we started eating cereal for breakfast, one of the greatest marketing case studies of all time. Dr. John Kellogg and his rival, CW Post, deserve credit for essentially creating the American "health food" movement, and the first official health foods were breakfast cereals. But cereals replaced eggs and bacon, not turkey sandwiches.

As Pee Wee Herman said, "I'm a rebel..."

Five Random Songs

"Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)," Pink, from I'm Not Dead. I listened to this CD nonstop when I first got it, and now -- according to my iTunes history -- I haven't listened to it for more than a year. Weird. Anyway, this song is a little too on-the-nose for my first day back in Gardiner. Next.

"Summertime," Sam Cooke. Love Sam Cooke, dislike this cover, which sounds Muzak-y to me.

"Mary Mack," Great Big Sea. Even thinking about this tongue twister this morning makes me more tired. "Mary Mack's mother's making Mary Mack marry me, my mother's making me marry Mary Mack..."

"The Light Pours Out of Me," Magazine. From Zero: A Martin Hannett Story, 1977-1991, a great collection that introduced me to several bands I hadn't heard before, including this one.

"I'm an Optimist," Mark Isham. From The Express soundtrack, which is classic orchestral Americana; and why haven't you seen that movie yet? (Don't pretend you have; based on last weekend's box office, hardly anyone saw that movie. Go. Bring your kids. You'll be glad.)

9 comments:

Karen Olson said...

My daughter eats baked potatoes for breakfast. And when she gets tired of that, she'll have rice with soy sauce. Or leftover steak from the night before.

Anonymous said...

Just before I read your post I was about to open a can of chicken noodle soup for breakfast. I ended up just eating crackers, but I really wanted the soup. I'll be glad I still have it when lunchtime rolls around.
Sue

Ellen Clair Lamb said...

Karen, I thought about your daughter while I was posting it! I would gladly eat steak for breakfast, except that I never seem to have it for dinner.

The Japanese eat soup for breakfast...

Anonymous said...

I have a can of soda for breakfast, maybe a granola bar if I'm up early and think of it.

I'm not a morning person.

Anonymous said...

And then there is the perennial college favorite that I still enjoy... cold pizza.

Anonymous said...

I like cake for breakfast. The morning after a birthday party, my sister and I get up and have two pieces of cake (each) with our coffee.

My mother-in-law likes cold pizza with mayonnaise.

I'd eat most anything for breakfast...except salad. Ew.

Kris

JIM LAMB said...

I can remember some mornings when I had a slurpee and a twinkie for breakfast.

Then there is always a couple of Bloody Mary's and chicken fingers.

Being retired can be a chore.

Anonymous said...

Mary mack is a great song, you can imagine 50 Newfoundlanders in a bar joioning in. Rant and Roar (which I always thought was the provincial song of NFLD) is my favorite song on the Great Big Sea album I have

RB

Laura Benedict said...

I think that eating cold lunchmeat would be weird because it's cold.

I've been eating natural peanut butter on whole wheat for this flat belly diet thing. I kind of like it...Beats the heck out of the sour cream and onion potato chips and coffee I used to have in college!

Uh, cold pizza with mayonnaise? Ack!