Breakfast Food ….is the Best Food

By Michelle Doerr

There’s that old adage, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” And, okay, I understand that. Being someone who has had to learn about nutrition and how our bodies and food interact, I can attest to the fact that eating in the morning helps to sustain blood sugar levels, keeps you feeling fuller, longer….blah blah blah.

But, the main reasons I think breakfast is so great don’t have to do with the boring stuff. For me, breakfast brings with it a whole mentality; one of relaxation and vacation. (And for the purposes of this post, I’m referring to breakfast on the weekends. Or, any day that you don’t have to rush to work or some other task you don’t want to do.) Maybe this is because from childhood to today, breakfast was usually rushed, on-the-go, or seen as a health “have to.” So, whenever my family would purposefully go out to breakfast, or whenever I do that with friends now, it’s a weekend, at some delightful breakfast place, eating slowly, with coffee, conversing well, and always eating something I wouldn’t (or couldn’t, very well) make on my own.

And that’s what brings breakfast to the level of “exceptional.”

At what other meal are you allowed to eat what would be considered dessert if eaten at lunch or dinner? Macadamia nut-encrusted French toast with coconut infused syrup? Pumpkin-spice pancakes with maple-bacon butter? Massive cinnamon rolls with orange-cinnamon glaze? Buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake?! (I don’t even know what that means!) I’ve literally seen something called “Ham and cheese stuffed pumpkin-spice French toast waffles.” Which sounds like a 9 year old boy made it up, but….okay; I’ll try it.

These are the ridiculous, juvenile food choices that you make together, with someone else who has also decided to metaphorically say “To hell with it! Let’s eat happiness today!” while basking in the carefree attitude of a slow, early, sunny morning, perhaps staring at the ocean while it’s still crisp outside, not thinking about how, the next morning, you’ll probably be trying not to drop your hard-boiled egg as you run to your car and off to work.

Sigh.