Today’s Rant No. 31: Breakfast Edition

Summary

The author shares their passion for breakfast, detailing personal food preferences, family breakfast traditions, and favorite breakfast spots, while emphatically expressing a lifelong aversion to eggs.

Abstract

In "Today’s Rant No. 31: Breakfast Edition," the author delves into the significance of breakfast in their daily routine, emphasizing a shared enthusiasm for food with their son, Mateo. They reveal a substantial coffee consumption, averaging 5-7 cups daily, which they find calming rather than stimulating. The author nostalgically recounts childhood memories of oatmeal and grilled cheese sandwiches made by their mother, and appreciates the homemade pancakes currently made by their wife and father-in-law. They express a strong dislike for eggs, considering the prospect of enjoying them a harbinger of chaos. The author fondly reminisces about a memorable buffet breakfast at the Nugget Casino Resort in Reno and recommends local breakfast spots like Fifth Wheel in San Leandro and Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in Inglewood. They humorously plan to secretly dissuade their son from eating eggs, despite their wife's intention to promote them for their health benefits.

Opinions

The author has a deep love for eating, particularly breakfast, and sees it as an important part of their morning routine.
Coffee is a significant part of the author's life, consumed in large quantities for its calming effect.
Oatmeal and grilled cheese sandwiches are comfort foods that evoke childhood memories for the author.
Homemade pancakes are a cherished family tradition and a source of bonding for the author.
The author has a strong, lifelong aversion to eggs, finding them unpleasant in both smell and taste.
The Nugget Casino Resort's buffet breakfast is remembered as the best the author has ever had.
Fifth Wheel and Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles are highlighted as excellent breakfast spots in their respective areas.
The author playfully intends to influence their son's dietary preferences by discouraging egg consumption, contrary to their wife's views.

Today’s Rant No. 31: Breakfast Edition

Photo by Rachel Park on Unsplash

Despite my thin physical build, I love to eat. All day. Every day. In sickness and in health. Our son, Mateo, has inherited my love for eating and practically smashes our dining table into smithereens when he becomes hungry. So, as you could imagine, breakfast and coffee are important parts of my mornings. In fact, like Mateo, I get grumpy when I have to leave the house with an empty stomach.

Speaking of coffee, I typically drink 5–7 cups a day. Seriously. My brain even gets loopy without it. Ironically, coffee calms me so I enjoy drinking it to relax. Some people like wine. Other folks enjoy beer. I need my caffeine.

A bowl of hot, delicious oatmeal has been my go-to breakfast since childhood. As a kid, my mom would prepare my oatmeal in a pot and add a little sugar to it for flavor. Nowadays, I just buy instant oatmeal and warm it in the microwave. Easier and quicker.

Speaking of my childhood, my mom makes the world’s best grilled cheese sandwich. While some folks eat it for lunch, I have always enjoyed it as a breakfast option. There is just something special about food made by one’s mother.

Nowadays, my wife, Kay, and father-in-law, Albert, make scrumptious handmade pancakes every Sunday morning. I typically top the pancakes with either syrup or honey. Trust me, I have zero culinary skills, yet even I have learned to make decent pancakes. When Mateo gets a little older, I hope he and I can bond by making pancakes with one another.

I hate the smell and taste of eggs. Always have. Always will. End of discussion. I admittedly eat eggs if I have no choice and they are mixed with another item I have ordered at a restaurant, but I generally avoid them if possible. All hell is likely to break loose the day I learn to love eggs. Massive hurricanes. Widespread flooding. The Cleveland Browns winning a Super Bowl. All hell.

The greatest breakfast I have ever eaten? The buffet breakfast at the Nugget Casino Resort in Reno. Not sure if the buffet is still in operation at the hotel. But I had eaten there with my parents, brother, eldest sister-in-law, and nephew on Easter about 15 years ago and the buffet was perfect! Bacon, sausages, and every breakfast food you could imagine. They even served refreshing orange juice mimosas! Delicious!

Fifth Wheel in San Leandro is my favorite breakfast spot in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I had been born and raised. The food is delicious, and service is excellent. The only problem is the restaurant is tiny and probably has no more than a 25-person capacity. Thus, be prepared to wait in a long line — because the food is that good! It also closes by 2:30 p.m. every day, so get there early.

A shoutout to Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in Inglewood for providing me with breakfast my first day as a Southern California resident and many more times after that. Rapper Snoop Dogg even eats there occasionally. So, be sure to try it the next time you are in the area.

When Mateo gets older, I plan to secretly inform him that eggs are not his friends. But please do not mention this to Kay. She intends to do the opposite and encourage him to eat those freakin’ things due to their alleged “health benefits.” Whatever that means. Anyway, can we keep my plan a secret between us? There is no way for her to learn about it — even though she reads all of my articles and serves as my co-producer for our “Parenting Tales of Teo” series on Medium. Anyway, we have a deal, right? Of course, we do.