Do you eat a lot of oatmeal? This morning, in memory of my ex/father/n/law, I ate oatmeal. He was a retired Doctor from Germany. He LOVED oatmeal! He had his ritual. He would microwave a packet of oatmeal, stir in one packet of sweetener (yellow one) and then add cream on top. FINISHED – nothing else, ie fruit/nuts, etc. Toward the end, at 99, all he would ask for was “oatmeal.”
My Italian mother, on the other hand, preferred cream of rice. Probably because it reminded her of polenta. Although, she never made polenta for us. She would cook cream of rice (for 4 kids) and stir in one raw egg. Since the cream of rice was hot, stirring in the egg cooked it. Voila – breakfast served.
My mother enjoyed something else. She would take a raw egg, some sugar and whip/whip/whip it with a fork until it was creamy like a custard and then she would eat it. Did she cook it? I don’t remember seeing her cook it, I will ask her, but I remember thinking how “odd” that was and worried she’d get SICK!
So, WHAT was IT in your house growing up — OATMEAL or CREAM of RICE?
Brilliant Viewpoint 
muesli in whole, no flavored yogurt… There is always an odd answer.
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Muesli – great idea, haven’t had that for a LONG time. Is there a good brand you like? I like the Kashi GO Original cereal.
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Bob’s Gluten Free Muesli. I like it better than the original. I got hooked after one too many trips to Munich.
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Yes, I LOVE Munich. For a few years, I would go every year around Thanksgiving for their Xmas Market. If you find the right hotel, they have wonderful breakfast included. This summer I went to Florence, Italy. In the past, I always flew through Munich, stayed for 3 days, then took a small plane to Florence. With all the issues with airlines this summer, I could not fly through Munich with United. I had to go direct to Rome, I couldn’t even go to Pisa. Anyhow, that just means Munich is in my future, right. Thanks for the tip on Muesli. Oktoberfest is starting, that will be fun! Some places in Chicago are starting NEXT weekend with Oktoberfest. Pull out your lederhosen! LOL
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Neither growing up. My mother wasn’t a breakfast person
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Neither. I’m sure we had cereal growing up, but I preferred peanut butter on toast. I find oatmeal fills me up but does not stay with me, so I’m more inclined to have it as a bedtime snack, but only in winter. My mother at 96, eats oatmeal every day and has very low cholesterol. I prefer eggs lately – I know, good for protein and omegas but high in cholesterol, but my cholesterol has dropped a whole point since I cut out baking, mostly.
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PS. I might add I find cream of wheat disgusting, but my mother says she ate that growing up, and oatmeal too.
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Yes, I find cream of wheat has a strange texture. No wonder she likes oatmeal. 🙂
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We all have our “go to breakfast preferences,” don’t we. Some people can really eat oatmeal all the time.
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Cream of Wheat, Cream of Rice, “Wheatena” – my mother made them all. Took a lot of brown sugar, raisins, and milk to make them palatable but it was an easy breakfast for her to prepare for her five sons. I was surprised to read about the packet of sugar with your father-in-law. Our experience with the Germans (in Germany, at least) is they’re not fans of “sweet”. Their breakfasts tended to be savory (toast, meats, pieces of cheese). Even their ice cream tasted more like slightly sweetened whipped cream.
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Oh no, they do love their sweets. Have you ever been to Munich and seen their bakeries. They are huge fans of chocolates and cakes, but these are delicious cakes. I think they like food in general. Even if we had pancake / waffle / toast / eggs — there was syrup, butter, lots of jam, strawberries/raspberries, etc. Oh, if we went out to dinner my ex/mother/n/law ALWAYS wanted someone to order dessert, so she could have some. Even at 97 she loves chocolates and cakes. LOL
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Maybe it’s a north/south thing with the sweets (our friends lived outside of Hamburg). I remember Italy being the same way – tomato sauce to the north versus the rather plain “Neopolitan” style to the south (and perhaps a reflection of the relative wealth). But good to know! Now I must visit Munich!
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