Tastebuds Go International

When I was a kid, I dipped white toast in cocoa for breakfast. My brothers loaded sugar on cereal, one sister methodically put banana slices on Raisin Bran and took her vitamin, and one sister ran out the door without eating at all. These days, I see neighbors hustling down subway steps with giant cups of coffee and cake (well, they’re actually muffins).

But one Christmas morning, I had breakfast with friends from Jamaica. It was like a dinner meal, with salted mackerel and boiled green bananas, sweet potato pudding, hard-dough bread with butter, and bush tea (cerasse, lime leaf, black mint, peppermint, soursop leaf, donkey weed, lemon grass, and cinnamon leaf). It was a complete surprise for me, and a welcome change from traditional family Christmas breakfasts of heavy pancakes with syrup, sausage, and scrambled eggs.

That experience changed my thinking, and from then on, I’ve wanted a substantial hot breakfast to start the day. A friend from Korea told me she ate a bowl of soup and rice each morning, and I really liked that idea. So, last winter, I made a big pot of soup every Sunday. During the week, I ladled out a portion for breakfast every morning and got happy indeed. It was fast, nutritious, and warmed my belly before I hit the frigid winds outside.

In parts of China, folks start the day quickly with congee (a porridge, savory or sweet) and deep-fried devils (twisted strips of dough), or dedicate a bit more time to prepare zongzi, a sticky rice pressed into a triangle shape and wrapped in bamboo leaves.

In Thailand, breakfast foods are the same items eaten at other meals throughout the day, with the slight exception of khao tom - a rice soup similar to China's congee rice gruel. Common Japanese breakfast choices include bread, rice, miso soup, yogurt, eggs, natto, jam, sausage/ham, seaweed, pickles, cheese, and pancakes.

Maybe you’re very happy with your weight, but skipping meals often leads to overeating. It’s easier to control weight by eating frequently. In that spirit, All Breakfast All the Time is definitely a place to visit if you’re looking to change your breakfast habit. Mr. Breakfast features recipes for breakfast you may want to try this weekend, like Spanish omelet, sweet potato congee, and coconut rice with mangos. Enjoy!