Breakfast Serial

Ah, that grand old phrase, 'Back in the Day!'  I started this blog so I could talk about how things used to be back then. Not for the rich, the famous, the leaders, and the winners who get to re-write history. Nope, this is about ordinary people doing what ordinary people did then. Which isn't always how we choose to recall it.

I debated where to start. Grandma's depression stories? Watching the moon landing on TV? Both are on the list, but I need more time to develop them. No, I think I'd prefer to start today with a healthy breakfast. Whatever that is. Whether your breakfast is healthy depends on what decade it is.

'Back in the day' I was in grade school. The teacher was talking about how important it was to eat a healthy breakfast. We'd just seen a short film about a little girl they called 'B.J.,' their little nickname for 'Breakfast Jumper.' (I know, right?)  But then again, the obvious choice of 'Breakfast Skipper' would have been worse. Anyhoo, poor little 'B.J.' had a terrible day. No energy at recess, no focus at school. Conclusion... eat a healthy breakfast.

After that, the teacher went around they room and asked us all what we had for breakfast that day. The first kid told the truth. "A bowl of cereal and a glass of milk." He got a bit of a scold. "That's not a healthy breakfast," he was told. I noticed that as we went around the room, each breakfast got bigger and more nutritious.

It is true that I was one of the only 'latchkey' kids in my class. We were about 10 years ahead of the curve in that regard. Mom had to rush to get everybody dressed, including herself, and out the door with everything we needed. Lunches, foul-weather gear, class projects. She's supposed to whomp up omelettes and squeeze oranges in her spare time? Puh-leeze.

I wasn't a good liar back then, so I joined the disgraced kid by admitting that I, too, had a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk. I got my lecture, and life went on. I think I was supposed to march home and tell Mom she was doing breakfast wrong. I didn't. I merely resolved to be smarter next time, and learn to fib like my classmates did.

Years later, I can picture a different scenario. The first kid up would admit he had bacon and pancakes, and  his poor Mom would get a 'time out' at PTA for serving the kid a 'heart attack on a platter.' The mom who fed her kid granola would get an award.

These days I'm not sure what breakfast foods are naughty and which are nice. I rather suspect that 'food' is the new healthy breakfast, since more kids are forced to go without these days. But I do know that if someone asks me what I had, I will look them in the eye and say, "Heck if I know. That was hours ago!"