A breakfast teaser

For the past few months Roy and I have been traveling in and around San Juan County in an attempt to find, and dine on, breakfast. Every time I think we’re done, someone will mention another restaurant “you just have to try!”
So that article is still in its developmental stage but hopefully will appear in a June issue of the San Juan Record.
Until then I think a little teaser about breakfast would be a good introduction. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines breakfast as: “1. the first meal of the day, especially when taken in the morning. 2. the food prepared for a breakfast. eat your breakfast.”
The first definition seems to be worldwide. The second? Why do dictionaries define a word using the same word? Before I digress further, while the intent of a breakfast is to feed the body upon waking, it goes further than that nowadays.
Having “breakfast” food for brunch, lunch, or dinner isn’t unusual any longer. Workers of second and third shifts come home in the early morning hours and what is there to eat? Breakfast!
Why is breakfast so important? According to medical studies it breaks the body’s fasting during overnight sleep. It jump-starts metabolism, helps the body burn more calories during the day, and basically is the fuel to get you moving.
According to Dr. Christy C. Tangney, a professor of clinical nutrition at Rush University Medical Center, “Various studies have found different benefits of starting your day with breakfast, including:
• Having a lower BMI
• Consuming less fat through the day
• Meeting recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption
• Having higher daily calcium intake
• Having higher daily fiber intake
• Having better performance (memory and attention) (for school-aged children)”
Worldwide, what the citizens of one country or culture refer to as breakfast may seem very unusual to another country and culture.
In America the usual staples are eggs, a protein (sausage, bacon, ham), cheese, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, toast, and potatoes (hash browns or home fries).
Take, for example, Japan where the morning meal consists of grilled fish, steamed rice, miso soup, and pickled vegetables
For us here in the USA that sounds more like a lunch or dinner, but it’s simply what makes the world go round – cultural diversity.
And guess what? Depending on where you live or were born and raised, the breakfast you enjoy having might be seen as “foreign” in other states.
In the south, and many of the southwestern states, a typical breakfast would be biscuits and gravy, country fried steak, chicken and waffles, and a side of grits instead of potatoes.
The southwestern states also have a huge influence from Mexico, so don’t be surprised to see some type of breakfast burrito, huevos rancheros, and green chili on the menu.
In the tri-states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, the full-on breakfast is usually eggs, potatoes, meat, toast, and pancakes – the “heart attack” special.
However, the breakfast that all high school and college students and workers of every class are drawn to the most is the breakfast sandwich: a kaiser roll (poppy seed covered), buttered and browned on the grill alongside two fried eggs and bacon, then topped with melted cheese, ketchup, salt, and pepper.
Oh yes, coffee is a must, and those who asked for tea get a very strange look from the guys behind the counter.
So consider this a breakfast teaser, something to get your mind focused on my upcoming article, “Breakfast in and around San Juan County”.
Oh, while you’re thinking don’t be surprised if your mouth starts watering since your taste buds just woke up and are hungry for breakfast.