DISH
Give me a break (fast)!
with Maribeth Maloney
Ididn't want to pull into that Downyflake parking lot. Not on a summer Sunday morning. Just as I started to make the turn, I saw the masses waiting, some of them on lounge chairs. My internal New York voice screamed, "A line! Don't do it-get away-far away!" The voices in my car were louder ("Yes, Mommy! Pull in, we'll wait!"). With an oncoming pickup truck, I faced the option of completing the turn or risking the unceremonious introduction of the Ford Explorer "coffin-on-wheels" to the automotive world. Forget breakfast, "brake fast" sounds better to me.

Alas, I pulled in. We waited. We've also waited at Mac's Place and at The Even Keel...and then some. I hate waiting, but I do it for the bacon eaters that I love. To me, breakfast is a bagel with a schmear thrown at your face in a brown bag so fast you don't have time to get your money out.

Confounded by the waiting for breakfast bit for the last time, I let the researcher in me take over. What is it about breakfast that makes people so willing to wait?

Although, there's no evidence to lend rationale to the, "I like breakfast therefore I like waiting on line" mentality, there is a tradition of leisure intertwined with it. The meal as we know it-eggs, bacon and the works-is a curious Anglo Saxon creation, largely believed to be the only worthwhile contribution of the British to the culinary world. Summed up by English novelist, W. Somerset Maugham, "To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day."

The word derives from the Latin "disjejunare," which means to "un-fast" or break the fast of evening. It was contracted in Romance languages to "disnare" or "disner" in Olde French, which means "dinner" in English. So, essentially, the word for breakfast translates to dinner. While there's historical confirmation that foods such as eggs, sausages and pancakes were eaten in ancient Rome and Greece, "breakfast" only became a menu item in its own right when the British introduced it as such in the mid 19th century.

During the Middle Ages in England, there were only two recognized meals: dinner, which was the substantial meal of the day and took place at noon, and supper, which was a light evening meal. Breaking the overnight fast too soon was frowned upon and only tolerated for children and the elderly. However, peasants who started work at daybreak and were too hungry to hold out had long been partaking in an early meal, typically of soup, bread, ale or dry wine. (Coffee and tea didn't arrive on the scene until the 17th century, making for some sauced up farmhands.) Over the next couple of centuries, anyone of affluence who felt the need to have a pre-dinner meal did so privately, in their bedroom. It wasn't until the mid 1800's that breakfast became a sociallyaccepted, convivial experience, with menus including such dishes as potted hare, sardines, beefsteak, porridge, eggs, muffins, breads and jams.

By the turn of the 20th century, the grand tradition of the full English breakfast had come into vogue as a leisurely, drawn-out feast of several courses. The meal began with porridge, grapefruit halves, cured herring ("kippers") smoked haddock, rehydrated dried fruits, cheese, toast, rolls, yogurt and fruit salad-followed (if you can believe it) by a "Fry-up." This is a fatladen beast unto itself, generally including the following elements, all fried: eggs, thickly-sliced bacon ("rashers"), toast (a "fried slice"), pork sausages, pig's blood sausages ("black pudding"), tomatoes and mushrooms. Fry-ups were typically accompanied by fried leftover potatoes and vegetables ("bubble & squeak"), with the condiment of choice being "HP sauce," a tamarindbased sauce, similar to Worcestershire, which got its name when it was spotted in the Houses of Parliament.

Elsewhere in the world,

although a morning meal is commonly

eaten, it's generally not a distinct concept with "breakfast foods." The same dishes that are eaten at other meals are served at the morning meal, with fewer varieties. In Japan, breakfast might be miso soup, rice with nori, grilled fish, fermented soybeans and pickled vegetables. Koreans start the day with "kimchi," which is fermented vegetables and rice, and the Thai and Vietnamese customarily have "congee," a rice porridge. Arab countries sit down to pita bread dipped in a rich, creamy curd ("labney") or olive oil with spices. Latin American nations typically have an assortment of tortillas ("arepas") with pastries, and while Mexicans do love their heuvos rancheros, they're generally served at the mid-morning meal, known as "almuerzo," with a lighter offering of breads and hot beverages served at the first meal.

The breakfast of the continental European countries, comprised of Germany, Spain, Italy, France and "Benelux," (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) is recognized as an institutional meal plan in hotels throughout the world as "Continental Breakfast." The standard fare is coffee and milk (often mixed as cappuccino or latte), juice and a variety of sweet cakes, brioche, croissants and jam. In case you were wondering, the Belgians do not eat their eponymous waffles- those are only peddled in tourist areas.

The first breakfasts in America featured the cornmeal mush of the native inhabitants. European settlers put their own spin on the mush with "hasty pudding," a quickly made porridge of cornmeal

and molasses. 19th century affluence brought meat, fish and cheese, typically washed down with cider or rum. By the late 1800's, we had adopted the English tradition of eggs, bacon and sausages. Although the Fry-up seems to have eluded us, we've had our own regional enhancements, such as grits, ham and biscuits from the South, hash browns from the Northeast and chili peppers from the South. Most significantly, luxury became the defining hallmark of breakfast in America. Simply put, the later you ate, the more you ate and the more time you spent eating it, all were associated with class and culture. It's no wonder that "brunch," a word coined by the British, actually only came to glory in the United States.

At around the same time Americans began overdosing on breakfast feasts, a Seventh-day Adventist in Michigan named Dr. Will Keith Kellogg was spearheading his crusade to reform the diet of the country, starting with breakfast. The result: the cornflake. In 1894, the USDA delivered its first set of dietary recommendations, eventually leading to the ubiquitous pyramid we're all familiar with.

Although the American movement towards caloric temperance had a global impact, it didn't succeed as a fatal shot to the head of the English Fry-up, nor to traditional breakfast as we know it. Judging from the masses on line, the desire to enjoy a leisurely morning repast is a pleasure that can't be stamped out of our history-one that many are more than willing to wait for, lounge chairs and all.

As for me, I'm vowing to try harder to enjoy suffering the wait, but I still prefer to be hit in the face with a bagel.

I FRY-UP, AMERICAN STYLE

In the tradition of our pals across the pond, try this out at home and avoid the lines. Cheers!
+ 4 slices of bacon
+ 2 pork sausages, halved lengthwise
+ 6 ounces sliced mushrooms
+ 2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
+ 4 eggs
+ salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook bacon and sausages until nearly browned. Push to the side and add mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook until browned. Turn the heat down to medium and shake the pan so everything mixes together. Crack the eggs into the pan at different ends and cook to your preference. Slide it all onto a large platter; season with salt and pepper. Serve with toast to mop up the yolks. Serves 2.