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[maxcriden]

Americans tend to lack imagination when it comes to breakfast. The vast majority of us, surveys say, start our days with cold cereal — and those of us with children are more likely to buy the kinds with the most sugar. Children all over the world eat cornflakes and drink chocolate milk, of course, but in many places they also eat things that would strike the average American palate as strange, or worse.

Breakfast for a child in Burkina Faso, for example, might well include millet-seed porridge; in Japan, rice and a putrid soybean goop known as natto; in Jamaica, a mush of plantains or peanuts or cornmeal; in New Zealand, toast covered with Vegemite, a salty paste made of brewer’s yeast; and in China, jook, a rice gruel topped with pickled tofu, strings of dried meat or egg. In Cuba, Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America, it is not uncommon to find very young children sipping coffee with milk in the mornings. In Pakistan, kids often take their milk with Rooh Afza, a bright red syrup made from fruits, flowers and herbs. Swedish filmjolk is one of dozens of iterations of soured milk found on breakfast tables across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. For a child in southern India, the day might start with a steamed cake made from fermented lentils and rice called idli. “The idea that children should have bland, sweet food is a very industrial presumption,” says Krishnendu Ray, a professor of food studies at New York University who grew up in India. “In many parts of the world, breakfast is tepid, sour, fermented and savory.”

Much more and many more pics at the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/08/magazine/eaters-all-over.html?ref=magazine&_r=0

Feel free to share your own familial and cultural breakfast traditions

 

[grumble]

.

 

[Poodlestrike]

.

Nuh, uh, you gotta explain that. "How little America cares about its children?" Really?

 

[esms]

Just a typical American breakfast.

 

[Poodlestrike]

Just a typical American breakfast.

The guns are generally wrapped in bacon, but other than that, spot on.

 

[CrimzonSamurai]

Nuh, uh, you gotta explain that. "How little America cares about its children?" Really?

Fastest edit in the west it seems.

I feel grits are radically underrepresented.

Grits are amazing for breakfast.

 

[Cilla]

Excuse me NZ. What are you doing? Vegemite is ours!

 

[entremet]

I never understood ''breakfast'' foods. It's just food. I find cereal really boring for breakfast.

Sometimes I have soup for breakfast. Other times, I have a chicken and rice with an egg. Food is food.

 

[Leunam]

I love these kinds of projects.

My favorite breakfast is chilaquiles with queso fresco, crema, pickled onions, and a fried egg. Wakes you right the fuck up.

 

[TheWarrior]

So Americans are unimaginative with cold cereal. Then the article lists a bunch of things that cereal is superior to.

 

[J.EM1]

Just a typical American breakfast.

.308 and .45 ACP part of a complete breakfast. lol

 

[BossLackey]

I never understood ''breakfast'' foods. It's just food. I find cereal really boring for breakfast.

Sometimes I have soup for breakfast. Other times, I have a chicken and rice with an egg. Food is food.

Agreed.

It's pretty silly if you think about it at all.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

The guns are generally wrapped in bacon, but other than that, spot on.

You are correct.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images...OCA/12EatersAllOver-ss-slide-NOCA-blog533.jpg

"They get chocolate and sprinkles on bread and I get this?."

 

[ReplacementPelican]

When I stayed in the South of France every morning they would serve a two small (fresh) baguettes, a small piece of camembert and a small piece of dark chocolate.

So simple but absolutely amazing.

Thought I'd share the 'Sunday' option for us Brits though, absolutely adore a Full English.

 

[entremet]

So Americans are unimaginative with cold cereal. Then the article lists a bunch of things that cereal is superior to.

It's a few things.

-Cereal companies were pervasive in their marketing in insisting of being the standard breakfast.

-The US is a young country and also has a big immigrant population from a historical perspective, so cultural moors aren't as preserved due to assimilation.

So one of the reasons were so homogenous with breakfast options here generally.

 

[bengraven]

Breakfast foods are fucking delicious - I never understood why it's only eaten in the mornings while you can eat the same thing for lunch and dinner. Why is breakfast special of the three?

 

[Yaphett Kotto]

Kids in Pakistan got it good.

 

[Krejlooc]

The picture in the OP looks delicious, especially that plate right in the middle with the grapes and what looks like cream cheese.

 

[Suikoguy]

It's a few things.

-Cereal companies were pervasive in their marketing in insisting of being the standard breakfast.

-The US is a young country and also has a big immigrant population from a historical perspective, so cultural moors aren't as preserved due to assimilation.

So one of the reasons were so homogenous with breakfast options here generally.

US Culture also pushes not spending any time on breakfast. What is faster then a bowl of cereal?

 

[John Kowalski]

i always had golden grahams and always just golden grahams >_>

 

[God Dayumm]

I suppose kids in America have cereal for breakfast as does anyone else in the world because who has time for cooking breakfast? But a typical american prepared breakfast is pancakes, eggs or omelettes and mcmuffins. And coffee. Americano.

 

[J.EM1]

US Culture also pushes not spending any time on breakfast. What is faster then a bowl of cereal?

The processed stuff.. Pop Tarts, Nutri-Grain bars, Belvita, etc..

 

[Dahbomb]

Holy shit at that first Istanbul breakfast pic.

 

[WrenchNinja]

For a child in southern India, the day might start with a steamed cake made from fermented lentils and rice called idli.

Yup, my mom made this almost every day. That or dosai.

 

[UncleSporky]

I never understood ''breakfast'' foods. It's just food. I find cereal really boring for breakfast.

Sometimes I have soup for breakfast. Other times, I have a chicken and rice with an egg. Food is food.

Yeah, it sucks that there is this weird ingrained thing that eggs, sunny side up or scrambled, MUST be for breakfast. I mean come on. It's freakin' delicious. Have it any time.

McDonald's should serve egg McMuffins all day.

 

[Meier]

My breakfast before work every morning: A Poptart and some sort of juice -- they just came out with one that is cinnamon bun flavored and it is LEGIT. It was just cereal as a kid. Cheerios with milk and a spoonful of sugar.

 

[Summer Haze]

Thought I'd share the 'Sunday' option for us Brits though, absolutely adore a Full English.

The GOAT.

 

[Prophet Steve]

Nomnomnom, had this as part of my lunch today.

Definitely not something I take regularly though.

 

[Humidex]

I do like a full English, especially black pudding!

As much as I like natto, to call it putrid would be an understatement!

 

[TheExecutive]

Pretty slim and boring breakfast here... 6 slices of Canadian bacon for the protein and coffee. Usually keeps me nice and steady until lunch.

 

[DOWN]

That kid eating chocolate shavings on bread looks great and confuses me.

 

[Nokterian]

HAGELSLAG!! I eat this also every morning it's delicious a lot of variations also.

That kid eating chocolate shavings on bread looks great and confuses me.

It's a dutch thing but oh boy every kid and adult eats it.

Viv Bourdrez, 5 years old, Amsterdam
For Viv, breakfast is a glass of milk with bread, unsalted butter and — most important — sweet sprinkles, which come in multiple flavors (chocolate, vanilla, fruit) and sizes (small, large, shavings). A government-run website promoting tourism boasts that every day the Dutch eat at least 750,000 slices of bread topped with the chocolate sprinkles called hagelslag (‘‘hailstorm’&#8217, making it the country’s most popular bread topping. For a nation of nearly 17 million people, that’s close to 300 million slices a year of hagelslag-covered bread. In June, a successful Dutch Kickstarter campaign raised more than $11,000 to create bacon hagelslag. Viv is partial to the multihued sprinkles called vruchtenhagel (‘‘fruit hail’&#8217, while her twin sister, Rosie, reaches for chocoladevlokken.

 

[Vinci]

Typically eat breakfast at any time of the day. Delicious stuff and cannot imagine the sadness of people who only eat cereal for breakfast.

 

[Cagey]

Breakfast is two scoops of whey protein into water or mixed with milk and other ingredients, depending on the bulk or cut cycle.

 

[maxcriden]

thisiswhyyouarefat.com

Healthy breakfasts would go a long way in good eating habits.

What kind of weird broken site are you sending us to? ;__;

 

[lastplayed]

in New Zealand, toast covered with Vegemite, a salty paste made of brewer’s yeast;

Yeah that's not right. We're more into Marmite. Vegemite is an Aussie thing.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Amerigan breakfast still da best. Istanbul looks pretty delicious tho. Tokyo, wtf are you doing?

 

[entremet]

Amerigan breakfast still da best. Istanbul looks pretty delicious tho. Tokyo, wtf are you doing?

Japanese breakfasts are so good!

 

[Exr]

And here I am slamming McDonalds breakfast burritos into my stupid face

 

[AstroNut325]

I prefer the variety of foreign breakfasts. American food in general is extremely bland or sweet. I like spice and flavors.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

I suppose kids in America have cereal for breakfast as does anyone else in the world because who has time for cooking breakfast? But a typical american prepared breakfast is pancakes, eggs or omelettes and mcmuffins. And coffee. Americano.

That is one of the social problems leading to obesity. Time is money, always in a rush, comfort and convenient (handheld) manufactured food. Obviously not just an American thing anymore but it is exemplary here.

 

[Frustrated_me]

I didn't even need to check, that's 100% Turkish.

 

[maxcriden]

Oh shoot I mean to type .jpg

:<

Reaaaaal nice phishing attempt. Tsk!

 

[bengraven]

I don't give a shit if there are so called better options. Pancakes and waffles are delicious. Sausage links and bacon are godly. A nice side of eggs and toast are great. Maybe it's shitty and boring, but it takes good. I don't need food that I'm going to take a picture of and post on my instagram, I want tasty food that is good going down.

And here I am slamming McDonalds breakfast burritos into my stupid face

McD's BB are dope.

 

[Snowmonkey]

This is not hagelslag, but vlokken. I know, because I eat them most everyday for breakfast. Hagelslag are the sprinkly-type things, usually chocolate but also come in "fruit-flavor".

 

[arts&crafts]

I eat Crunchy Kraft Peanut Butter on Ace Bakery Organic Granary every single day of the year.

 

[jelly]

After most basic cereal, I'm hungry by 10am but sometimes it's just easy and I don't always have the appetite so early. When I do have say eggs or something substancial, the difference is clear.

 

[victreeb3l]

Turkish and Japanese look the best.

Personally I like the super heavy south asian breakfast. Parathas, eggs, meats, vegetables and some tea to go with it.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

In Colombia we used to eat bread dipped in our cafe au lait. In fact people were freaked out when I did it here in the US once like I was a fucking weirdo.