I decided to make my American experience of the day complete and had French toast for the first time in my life. It was. . . difficult to understand. Not bad or anything but I’m not sure I got the point of the whole thing.
Maybe I should now try waffles.
Aren’t waffles a Belgian invention?
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Possibly. But you know how Americans eat them for breakfast? With lots of things piled on top?
I’m exploring new breakfast foods in hopes of emerging out of an intellectual rut.
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Oh, you should definitely try fried chicken and waffles, an unlikely combo that doesn’t make sense until you try it. This doesn’t qualify as a breakfast food, though.
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Isn’t it too dry, though? I heard about it but always feared trying it.
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Oh yes, it does. My Maryland grandfather served fried chicken for breakfast. Not heavily battered and deep fried, but shaken in a bag with flour, salt and pepper and then fried in oil in a cast iron Dutch oven; you have to keep turning it with a knitting needle. It’s very good.
[Non-US, but while it occurs to me: I think Turkey has really good non-sweet breakfasts too, hummus and things like that, and I think you cn get big fat meat and vegetable soup for breakfast in various Asian countries. (You can get it in the Andes as well.)]
Where I live in US, there is boudin for breakfast. http://boudinlink.com/
And I recommend corn maquechoux (now that is Southern and Native American) with that fried chicken, and alongside that shrimp and grits as well.
“Where I live in US, there is boudin for breakfast. http://boudinlink.com/”
Funny you should mention that. I was there just the other day getting an iced coffee when I saw their ‘Red quinoa + mango’ seasonal salad being advertised.
Liked the idea so much I made something like it yesterday (mine has more stuff in it). Turned out awesome.
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Have you tried leftover pizza with sausage and anchovies from Pizza Hut? (Reheat it in the oven, not the microwave, or it’ll be soggy.)
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“leftover pizza with sausage and anchovies from Pizza Hut?”
Ah! A palate after my own! Leftover pizza (from the night before) is one of my favorite breakfasts ever.
I don’t bother to heat it up though, just close the box overnight (don’t put it in the fridge) and glory in its cold, slightly gummy texture the next morning.
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“in hopes of emerging out of an intellectual rut.”
This is called burying the lead, I was hoping it wouldn’t be left to me….. but what’s up? Tired of crisis literature? Tiring of Spain (!imposible!) something else?
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When I was a child, we ate waffles, usually with syrup and butter. Rarely we ate them with fruit on top. I don’t eat them any more.
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Americans eat French toast sweet, which I too do not understand (or appreciate). In my home country we eat French toast savory (salty), you might like it better. So none of the powdered sugar, syrup, cinnamon business.
Straight up dipped in egg/milk batter (with a little salt), fried in pan, then eaten with white cheese like feta and some hard-salami-like deli meat. Yum! And don’t get the sweetened American lasts-till-the-end-of-time toast bread. Get a European variety bread that’s not sweet with a small crust-area-to-volume ratio, i.e., a proper loaf, not baguette.
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You could try shrimp and grits, which is really good, or fried eggs with liver, which I also like.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp_and_grits/
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Oh yes: and huevos rancheros, and menudo, and pozole. Of these menudo is the best because it has tripe.
Atole, the original corn and cinnamon one, is very good as well and before you say it’s not American remember what the border was before 1848 or so, and remember that they are Native American dishes.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/02/how-to-make-mexican-atoles-champurrado-hot-chocolate-drinks.html
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OK, and in California, Chinese dumplings (I like them steamed) http://www.meatlovessalt.com/2014/01/pork-and-cabbage-dumplings-guotie-jiaozi-for-chinese-new-year-tutorial-and-recipe/
and tamales of course, and Mexican style coffee with cinnamon, and some people have chilaquiles. I don’t like the more doughy Chinese buns, but they are breakfasty too.
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Also cornbread, which you should make in a cast iron skillet, and popovers. Popovers are excellent. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-popovers-171064
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“Where I live in US, there is boudin for breakfast. http://boudinlink.com/”
Ha, never mind. I thought you were referring to Boudin Bakery, the san francisco chain.
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Ah right, our boudin is far more eccentric! 😀
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I think French toast is one of those things that if you grow up eating it you like it a lot but if you’re introduced to it as an adult (like me) it’s just kind of….. blah.
Not terrible but hard to work up any enthusiasm for. Grits (which I grew up with and love) are another and poppyseed cake (which I did not and do not) is another.
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The first time I made French toast for my English husband, he asked for HP sauce with it (it’s like ketchup, but brown, and a bit stronger). That was the first time I realized that not everyone eats sweet French toast. I make mine at home with Texas toast bread, and add cinnamon and ginger and vanilla and cream to the eggs before I dip the bread in them.
I’ve never liked waffles at restaurants, because they’re usually too crunch and dry for my taste, but I like them home-made.
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A conservative literary critic and college professor
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