by Ashley Stewart
Disclaimer: In this article, I am referring to traditional North American breakfast foods.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day — we’ve all heard it before. I’m not going to bore you with all the data that proves why we all should eat before we go on about our day — we should, but that’s beside the point — because that’s for scientists and statisticians. No, I’m here to tell you why I think breakfast is the ultimate meal.
I think most people would agree that breakfast is the easiest meal to prepare during any point in the day. Hot cereal, cold cereal, toast, eggs – there are so many options to choose from. How often do you hear people complaining about hashbrowns? With all of these choices in mind, you have so much freedom in the early hours of the day — or whenever really.
Most people look forward to eating breakfast or breakfast foods — I know I do. Think about it, we have “breakfast for dinner” — because “brinner” sounds ignorant — but we don’t have “dinner for breakfast.” If someone has cold pizza or leftovers from the night before in the morning, there isn’t really a label for it — besides “dude, are you okay?” If anything, we are scrutinized for not eating something “normal” for breakfast.
I love to go out for breakfast and brunch. I know how basic that makes me sound, but logistically, breakfast foods are a great choice for hungry customers. Why? Because they can be prepared quickly. What do 24-hour diners always serve? Breakfast.
This morning meal has power as a social construct via commercials and advertisements. The phrase “breakfast served all day” exists for a reason — and it is posted in big, fat letters at fast-food chains because companies know what people want. America loves breakfast, so we want it to last longer – that’s literally why we have brunch, which is just breakfast for lunch. In its most basic form, brunch is just an excuse to day-drink while consuming eggs. I’m not complaining, this is just a fact. And that’s another thing — eggs, for the most part, are a breakfast food.
As a society, we have designated different foods and beverages as breakfast foods and beverages. Yes, commercials have swayed us to think this way. But again, who is complaining? When do you eat waffles? When do you drink orange juice? That’s what I thought.
Breakfast is the ultimate meal because it is often quick and easy to prepare, therefore a privileged convenience. You can have something sweet, savory or a combination of both. You don’t always get that with lunch and dinner. You could have a soda later in the day, but is it the same? Is it?
Now I know not everyone is a fan of breakfast, has an allergy or some kind of dramatic aversion to eggs. Eat whatever you want in the morning, truly. But if you do like breakfast, can I interest you in some pancakes and bacon? Of course I can.
