I love breakfast. Especially weekend breakfasts, when I can indulge in more than my usual banana, Kind fruit and nut bar, and sometimes pineapple.
This morning's treat was organic steel cut oats with chia seeds and flax meal, topped with fresh organic strawberries and pears, and a dollop of whipped cream. (I did not have my favorite Fage Greek yogurt on hand, so whipped cream it was.) It so hit the spot I didn't think of snapping a picture until it was too late.
When I was in elementary school, I never understood the cereal and milk that was a staple to so many of my peers. In my house, breakfast consisted of a tasty warm meal. My grandma and mom made breakfast for us every morning. Among my favorites were congee (a savory rice porridge) with preserved duck egg topped with freshly cut scallions--I got to help with cutting the scallion, zong (steamed glutinous rice with sweet or savory filling wrapped in bamboo leaves), leftover fried rice, fried eggs, toast with butter and jam, sauteed sliced ham or Spam(!), and sweet or savory soy milk soup. Sometimes we went out for special treats like dim sum or you zha guai (Chinese crullers).
I didn't eat cereal for breakfast until my family immigrated to America. In our new lives in suburban CT, ingredients were not the same. The rice selection at Stop & Stop was limited to Goya and Uncle Ben's. Every month or so my parents drove out to Chinatown in NYC to replenish the pantry with items we could not find in CT, but still our meals were not the same. Over time, our palates changed as well. Breakfast became leftover pizza on special occasions. Most days it was Oh's cereal. I had mine with orange juice, which my grandmother believed should be taken out of the refrigerator at least an hour in advance; cold drinks are bad for you.
On this Saturday morning, I savor the time it takes to cook my steel cut oats, as I take a stroll through my childhood breakfast memories. Grandma would be happy that I made a warm breakfast and let the chill come off the grapefruit juice before drinking it.
Fun memories of your breakfast past. I enjoyed how everything came back around at the end, "Grandma would be happy that I made a warm breakfast and let the chill come off the grapefruit juice before drinking it."
ReplyDeleteSuch great memories. We normally had cereal for breakfast but dinner was always some delicious ethnic (Polish) dish. The house always smelled so good.
ReplyDeleteOh the smells!
DeleteMy grandmother often would make a hot breakfast of rice: nothing fancy, and I remember not really liking it, but I miss it every now and then. Maybe it's that someone spent the time and effort to make something nourishing? I found myself looking for a picture or a recipe for your post today. Very food memory moment that I could see while reading Bon Appetit or another foodie blog.
ReplyDeleteMy dad always cooked breakfast for us on weekends. Scrambled eggs, bacon, buttered toast with strawberry jam. I miss those days, for the tradition as much as anything, I think!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your breakfast memories. The breakfasts that your mom and grandma cooked were nourishing! Even duck eggs! I know what you mean about cereal. In Haiti, breakfast can be fish and plantain, or spaghetti and hot dog. People make sure that they do not leave the house hungry. Thank you for sharing.
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