Sunday, April 9, 2017

Food for Thought

I was going to write something about how spring is the herald to summer and brings with it thoughts of vacation, swimming pools, heat, and fun. Which is all true in a blustery sort of way, but I'm afraid that thought has been derailed by chocolate cake.

I can be quite emphatic about what is and is not a breakfast food. Cereal, eggs, bacon, pancakes and waffles all qualify. Quesadilla's are not (sorry, but it just ain't a breakfast burrito), leftover hamburgers aren't (gag) , pizza however is universally acceptable. That's not to say you can't eat other foods for breakfast, you can, but that doesn't automatically define it as "breakfast food".

Which leaves me wondering about cake. Ever since I read the Outsiders chocolate cake has been an acceptable thing to break ones fast with, especially if accompanied by a fried egg. But do I consider it a breakfast food? If I look at my criteria, my answer would have to be no. It's a food I enjoy eating for breakfast, often to celebrate the holidays or vacation, but categorically it remains firmly in the dessert family.

I've had several conversations with friends recently about stereotypes. This morning I realized people are like food, we put them into groups and categorized them in different ways. But just because a label has stuck doesn't mean that's the only box a person fits in. To put it in context of my breakfast choice, people are like chocolate cake, too complex to be defined by a single attribute. The more you get to know someone, the more you see their intriguing facets.

That's my deep for thinking for the week. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go finish my breakfast 'cause as my grandpa used to say "Life is short, so eat dessert first."