I recently read this article on WorldHum. Breakfast, like all our meals, can be linked to our earliest memories and cultural ties. The author feels "parochial" when it comes to breakfast, and does not like to part from the familiar when it comes to the morning meal.

It got me thinking, too. Of all the meals I eat when I travel abroad, it seems like I make most of my compromises with breakfast. I don't eat large calories or loads of unrefined carbs for breakfast normally, but while I'm in Europe, it seems like that's what I usually find myself eating. I generally don't eat vegetables for breakfast, either, yet while I've been in Israel, chopped salads are the norm for the morning meal.

Have you noticed this, too?

Terry, I am like you. I am at my most cross-cultural when it comes to breakfast. I can have sausage & eggs, or croissant, or congee. (But I need, need strong European style coffee; probably an addiction by now...)
I have noticed that many friends are profoundly unhappy when their breakfast habits cannot be accommodated when they travel.

Of course larger cities and hotels accomodate a wide variety of categories of food at their breakfast buffets, but smaller and more remote areas offer fewer choices outside the norm.

In either case, I generally choose breakfast to experiment with local customs and local food, telling myself to enjoy whatever is customary and fresh in the country/region/town - I don't generally watch carbs or calories when on vacation, but I do enjoy experimenting - it has led to some interesting results.

Then again, if our arrangement is a self-catered villa, coffee and a nosh from the local bakery will do.

Vegetables and fish are great for breakfast!

It's a little weird to admit, but I have some very fond memories of certain hotel breakfast buffets in Europe. As embarrassing as it is, I remember some hotel breakfasts better than some cathedrals. I started trying to list them in terms of preference, but it's so hard to say. The breakfast buffet at the Sheraton Iguazu was also excellent, with all the fresh fruit, fresh juices, roasted apples, and numerous other options.

Seeing lots of high-quality lox, typical of good European breakfast buffets, is always somehow exciting.

But a poor breakfast is always disappointing, and puts me in a poor mood too. I'd rather not even try than see some tired toast, aged peanut butter, oversweet stale muffins, and gasoline-like coffee.

I can still see the expression on my daughters' faces the first time we stayed with some friends in Holland and they were offered the traditional chocolate sprinkles on bread and butter for breakfast - it seemed so exotic and naughty to them!

The northern European mainland custom of cheeses and ham at breakfast is one that hasn't caught on here domestically, although it is offered in many hotels in the UK to appeal to tourists : it does always seem a good idea when we are over the Channel - a wallop of protein to get you set up for some sightseeing.

And, conforming to stereotype, my only breakfast anxiety is whether there is tea available that is made with boiling water, rather than tepid or worse, with hot milk. Bleugh.

Very interesting article.

My husband really watches what he eats having survived a heart attack some years ago, but when he is on vacation, he wants eggs over easy every day! He can go without sausage or bacon, but lack of eggs are difficult for him while on vacation.

I am so glad we discovered the joy of renting apartments. He can have exactly what he wants and it puts him in a great mood to start the day.

I prefer fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast. One trip to Venice we were staying in a very nice hotel (Monaco and Grand Canal) and I was really craving fresh fruit, not the canned stuff in syrup they offered every morning. I asked the waiter if they had something fresh and he brought over a gorgeous bowl of fresh fruit. At the time, the dollar was rather weak against the lira. I had a real shock when I saw how much that 1 or 2 pieces of fresh fruit out of that bowl cost! Big lesson learned!

That is so very interesting. I have been living in the United States for over 15 years. I am originally from France and I have still not departed from my traditional breakfast which consist of toasted bread or coissants with coffee. I have never eaten an American breakfast unless no other choice given to me on rare occassions within those 15 years.

Does anyone else appreciate the irony in the title of the article (craving an American breakfast but he wants "French" toast? - okay sorry it just makes me smile).

Like other I'm not that adventurous either when it comes to my morning meal - it's not that I crave an American breakfast it's just that, like Terry mentioned, I can't stomach the chopped veggies at Israeli breakfasts, though I can do cold fish (guess that comes with growing up on lox and whitefish, etc.) In Europe, while I love a croissant for breakfast I also love eggs, not because it's an American breakfast but because I think the eggs taste better in Europe, so I love getting them - whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Though, the idea of congee does appeal (I've been meaning to try it) only because I love grits, and oatmeal, etc, so a warm rice breakfast doesn't bother me - so maybe I'm a bit more adventurous than I thought...

Congee is like the ultimate comfort food. Based on overcooked rice, every place I ever had it added whatever they had in the kitchen - sorta like vegetable soup in the US (whatever you've got, or want goes in the pot).

I often had it as a snack when arriving after dinner hour in Hong Kong just before the hotel restaurants closed - it insured I realized I wasn't in NH, anymore...and it was just a little different each time. Not exciting, but warm and tastey - as Kim said, grits is a good comparison, except for the additives.

I only eat an American breakfast on weekends. During the week, I tend to eat leftovers at breakfast so I did not have any problems eating at the buffet on our trip to Malaysia. One hotel where we stayed, the buffet was mostly different types of SE rice noodle dishes, fried rice and curry for breakfast. Congee was also available although I didn't try it. I did try the porridge in South Africa which was corn based. It was more liquidy than grits.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff H:
Congee is like the ultimate comfort food.

Absolutely, congee is my Proustian madeleine.

And it is the ultimate jetlag food. The second I reach my hotel room in Bangkok, I order room service congee (called "jook" there) and iced coffee.
Byzance.

It's funny how different we all are. As opposed to FrenchPro above, my French housemate adores what she calls "American breakfast," and everytime we go out for brunch proceeds to order everything on the menu (eggs, bacon, pancakes, hash browns etc etc). On the other hand, she has the peculiarly French attitude that when she is feeling ill, a croissant for breakfast will make her feel better (although she acknowledges the possibility of a placebo effect at play!).