Jenn McKinlay: It's National Cereal Day! Now I'm not saying you have to have cereal for dinner, but I'm not not saying it either.
When I saw this day on the national day calendar, I realized I had no idea about the origin of breakfast cereal. The librarian in me could not let this stand. So here's what I learned from a fabulous article in the New York Times by Kim Severson: A Short History of Cereal.
"In 1863, James Caleb Jackson, a religiously conservative vegetarian who ran a medical sanitarium in western New York, created a breakfast cereal from graham flour dough that was dried and broken into shapes so hard they needed to be soaked in milk overnight. He called it granula. John Harvey Kellogg, a surgeon who ran a health spa in Michigan, later made a version and named it granola. Using the same idea, a former Kellogg patient, C.W. Post, created Grape-Nuts, which would become the first popular product to offer a discount coupon."
The 1920's heralded the invention of Wheaties, and its slogan "Breakfast of Champions" followed in the 1930's. Frosted Flakes and Tony the Tiger debuted in the 1950's. And in the 1960's there was very popular space inspired cereal called Quisp. Kind of sorry I missed that one.
Then cereal went all to heck in the 1970's with sugar overload and the Federal Trade Commission had to take a look at how cereal was being marketed to kids. By the 1990's organic was all the rage and remains a hot ticket to this day.
Okay, true confession, time, my favorite cereal of all time is...
Raisin Bran. Not even kidding. It's the only cereal besides oatmeal that my mom let us have as kids, so it's my comfort cereal. I like it even better when the bran flakes get a little mushy. My favorite bad for you cereal? Lucky Charms, natch!
So, Reds and Readers, chime in, what's your favorite cereal?
If forced, I can choke down a handful of dry Cheerios [or, perhaps, Cocoa Puffs], but cereal and I have an understanding: I won’t say anything bad about cereal and cereal will never show up on the table for me to eat . . . .
ReplyDeleteSo, what it your preferred breakfast? I'm a pancake gal myself.
DeleteAs long as there's coffee, I'm good with almost anything . . . eggs, toast and peanut butter . . .
DeleteI'm a raisin bran buy myself, although I'm not very fond of cold cereal. I hate how soggy it gets in the milk, so I always eat it dry. I can eat it, but I prefer something hot.
ReplyDeleteI'm more of a granola and yogurt person these days but you can't go wrong with a hot breakfast.
DeleteAs a kid I wanted Sugar Snacks with Quick Draw McGraw. Mom had GrapeNuts but oatmeal and cream of wheat was standard. I do have granola and an oat based flakes and cluster cereal the in place. I mix the granola with my yogurt. And for dinner cereal? Yup, been there, done that. It's fast and easy when I read too late into the night.
ReplyDeleteBreakfast for dinner is usually and bacon/sausage and eggs with biscuit thing. I don't think I've ever seen the Hub eat cereal and for dinner? NO. That would never fly. LOL.
DeleteNo hub to please around here :)
DeleteI haven’t bought dry cereal in years but when I did it was raisin bran. As a kid I liked Trix. My big brother and I usually tried to pick out the cereals with toys inside. Which led to fights as to who got the toy. Which led to our mother wanting to trade us in for better kids. Grin.
ReplyDeleteSounds like me and my bro! LOL!
DeleteFrosted Cheerios for me these days. At some point in my growing up, I liked Life Cereal, but I think that was maybe as a teenager. It seems to me we usually had eggs for breakfast, but I do remember some Frosted Flakes as a treat.
ReplyDeleteOh, Cinnamon Life is pretty awesome!
DeleteI was a Wheaties girl growing up, especially when it got mushy. Now, if I eat cereal, it's homemade granola, although I sometimes snack on Hugh's Kashi Cinnamon squares as cookies - they are a little sweet and way better for you than an actual cookie.
ReplyDeleteIn my research, I discovered that Kelloggs bought Kashi!
DeleteEdith, I sometimes eat a couple of Mini-Wheats as snacks.
DeleteI still like Cheerios for an occasional easy, fast, light meal any time of day. Tasty, not sugary, milk for protein and calcium, a handful of fresh berries or dried cranberries or raisins for taste and balance. Done! My mother didn't allow sugared dry cereal (boy did she change when grandkids visited!) so Frosted Flakes were the forbidden treat in childhood.She made hot cereal too - oatmeal, cornmeal, cream of wheat. Anyone remember one called Maltex?
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember Maltex. Didn't like it.
DeleteI have one Hooligan who goes through the family sized box of Honey Nut Cheerios in a blink al by himself.
DeleteThere used to be a Total that was corn-flavored. Crisper than regular corn flakes, tastier than regular Total. Best cereal ever. I haven't seen it in a long time.
DeleteI'm not a big cereal fan, but I do like raisin bran and frosted mini-wheats, or sometimes cornflakes, special K, or rice krispies with fruit. Multi-grain cheerios are good once in a while.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about Quake? He was always on the commercials with Quisp, and I think they had a big thing where people voted for Quisp or Quake. I believe Quisp one, and they got rid of Quake. Quisp reminds me of that little martian guy that was on the Flintstones for a while. Kazoo?
Ha! I remember Kazoo. Yes, they mentioned that Quake was the enemy and got phased out. Too funny! Also, I love the mini-wheats!
DeleteOh, I'm a raisin bran girl. I also like shredded wheat - the big ones. But my all time favorite is Lucy Burdette's homemade granola. I make it once every few months. It's so much better than any granola you an buy, and it makes a fabulous fruit crisp for dessert. It's sensational. https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2012/06/lucy-burdettes-good-for-anything.html
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm definitely going to try this. Mom will be so proud!
DeleteWhat burns me is, these days you go to the cereal aisle, reach for that familiar box of whatever--Cheerios, Raisin Bran... -- and when you get home and open it up turns out it's infested with cinnamon sugar or "crunch" (aka more sugar) or "honey nut" (feh). And can I just give a shout-out to sliced bananas, my favorite to put on the lowly corn flake.
ReplyDeleteYES! Sliced bananas on my Cheerios - fabulous.
DeleteI remember we had sliced bananas on Corn Flakes when I was a kid, too. I occasionally cut up a banana on my cereal these days, too.
DeleteI loved Frosted Flakes (and Tony the Tigerrrr) as a kid, but these days I eat only homemade granola or hot oatmeal (porridge). #sensible
ReplyDeleteWho remembers those little boxes of cereal -- the individual serving-sized ones? We only had those as a special thing when we went camping. Oh my goodness, those were fun to eat out of! Open the box, pour in the milk and enjoy. So yummy at a picnic table in the campsite.
We only had them camping, too! So fun.
DeleteConvenience when camping trumped nutrition, I guess! My brother and sister would argue over who should get the fun cereal and who should be stuck with the boring Kellogg's Flakes...
DeleteAmanda, I still bought those little boxes when my grandson was here for an extended time. He used to love them. Now he's all about frozen waffles in the toaster, and hardboiled eggs.
DeleteOne of the best parts of camping!!!
DeleteOh, Karen: That sounds like your grandson is growing up fast!
DeleteHe is! Sob.
DeleteFrosted Flakes and Honey Nut Cheerios. I don't like mushy cereal so I only pour enough cereal so I can eat them all before they have become soggy.
ReplyDeleteAs for hot cereal, I love Wheatena and grits. And grits must be the 20-minute version. Never liked Farina or Cream of Wheat. I
I'm going to have to reconsider grits. I don't think I've ever given them a fair shot.
DeleteDru, did you try to eat cereals with yogourt instead of milk ? It doesn't come mushy and it is good.
DeleteMy husband eats grits every morning.
DeleteI LOVE CEREAL. Yes, Raisin Bran. So yummy and those lovely soggy flakes and sweet raisins. The big shredded wheats. And grape nuts! With strawberries or bananas. And I adore oatmeal—it’s my go to treat at the airport.
ReplyDeleteSO YUMMY! I hardly ever eat cereal since it is so carby, but now I am tempted.
And I do remember Quisp and Quake.
I even love corn flakes. With bananas.
I knew I liked you for a reason, Hank! I love oatmeal on the go, too!
DeleteI do too
DeleteAmanda! I loved those little boxes. Lined with waxed paper so you could add the milk. I’ll take the corn flakes!
ReplyDeleteYou can have 'em, Hank! :)
DeleteYes to bananas on cereal, usually Cheerios. But Raisin Bran was my favorite for a long time. Oatmeal as a kid--my mom cooked it perfectly every time, add milk, brown sugar, raisins--yum!
ReplyDeleteQuisp! There's a name out of the dim past.
ReplyDeleteWe had Cocoa Puffs and Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Special K, Raisin Bran, and Cheerios. Usually we just had Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes, because they were cheap. Since they were unsweetened I would COVER the bowl of Rice Krispies with sugar. That makes me cringe now, of course.
Steve eats a bowl of cereal every day of his life, with banana. And he taught the kids to mix different kinds together, which they still do. They were only allowed a small amount of the sugary kind, usually either Raisin Bran or something like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. And is it possible to raise little ones without Cheerios? I can't imagine. After 35 years of child rearing, and years of cleaning mushed "O's" off highchair trays, I couldn't eat a bowl of that for love or money.
I used to have Shredded Wheat now and then, and sometimes I'll get on an oatmeal kick, but unless I'm traveling I normally only have a square of dark chocolate with my morning coffee and JRW.
Square of dark chocolate in the morning with coffee??? Why have I never thought of this??? Brilliant!
DeleteOn Cheerios and kids... I remember when you couldn't walk from the living room to the kitchen without crunching a cheerio underfoot.
DeleteJenn, that's been my daily "breakfast" for the last 33 years.
DeleteBirthday cereal! My kids grew up on plain cheerios and raisin bran, but the day before their birthdays, we would make a special trip to the grocery store for any kind of cereal, the more sugar-coated the better. Yes, they had to share with their sibs and yes, they never finished the box.
ReplyDeleteLOL - my hooligans are the same. I always made pancakes, waffles, or eggs for them for breakfast with juice, milk, and a fruit. Cereal was always a snack for later. Even now, they eat bagels and such instead of sugary cereal.
DeleteAs a kid I liked Sugar Pops. Tasted like sugar on popcorn. Today my favorite is spoon size shredded wheat, especially if I have blueberries to add. For quite some time I was eating it for lunch every day. I should have some again soon; maybe tonight!
ReplyDeleteNow that I have Celiac Disease (no wheat, rye, barley, or malt) my choice of cereal is limited. It's a good thing I like plain Cheerios, oatmeal, and Rice Krispies-type cereal. The latter two require careful label-reading. Unless the oatmeal actually says "gluten free" I will react to it. Kellogg's Rice Krispies contain wheat while store brands do not. Weird, eh?
ReplyDeleteI read labels for items containing soy protein. It does make that "quick trip" to the store longer.
DeleteI hear you, Deana! I'm also allergic to soy protein. I spend lots of time reading labels.
DeleteI never eat cereals at breakfast but I do at supper when nothing else appeals or when I'm too tired to prepare food. I complete with fruits. In my pantry I have Raisin Bran and Mini-Wheats that I also eat as snacks .
ReplyDeleteBut I'm a oatmeal lover, that's what I ate for supper yesterday night.
I also prepare homemade granola to eat with yogourts and fruits as dessert. Yummy !
I just can't do cereal of any kind for supper. Eggs, any time of the day: breakfast, lunch, supper. But cereal? Only for breakfast!
DeleteSpecial K with red berries for me, with lots of blueberries/banana added. And in the winter oatmeal with raisins. But I never could eat cereal that’s too sweet
ReplyDeleteRhys, I remember the tv commercials for Special K - if you want to lose weight, eat Special K. LOL. I do not know why I thought it was funny.
DeleteDiana
I’m a cereal fan— in fact, I’m eating a bowl of Almond Honey Bunches of Oats as I type this! My healthier choice is Fiber One, and I do like a bowl of Cheerios sometimes. As a kid I loved Sugar Smacks, but never really cared for after they changed to Honey Smacks.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s closed now, but years ago you could tour the Kellogg factory and get your photo on a Corn Flakes cereal box. My folks still have the one they got when they visited me after I first moved to Michigan. My nieces and nephews have all taken turns being quite impressed!
Shalom Reds and fans. Check out the Rice Krispies theme song on You Tube from early television. I can't get enough of it.
ReplyDeleteI prefer steel cut oats or cream of wheat, both made with milk. However, last year when I had pneumonia, I became very anemic. Was that the chicken or the egg? Who knows? Cheerios are enriched with a large amount of iron, and I add half a banana plus a spoonful of sugar. Suits me fine. Eggs for breakfast a couple or three times a week, poached preferably, and I'm good to go.
ReplyDeleteAs a child I recall Grape Nuts, Wheaties, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Post Toasties, Raisin Bran, and Rice Crispies. I think the first sugared cereal was Sugar Smacks. But my favorite cold "cereal" was graham crackers, crumbled in a bowl, and milk, or, in a pinch, saltines in the same manner. Add your own sugar. Still a treat.
But I left out the order above.
DeleteFirst the cereal
Then the fruit
And then just enough milk to cover
AND then the sugar if used.
This is very important, and no digression will be tolerated.
This time of year I like steel cut oats topped with fruit of some sort. When blueberries are fresh in the summer, it's Cheerios (the plain ones) with the blueberries, chopped walnuts and a splash of milk. Heaven!
ReplyDeleteI have a real bone to pick about my favorite cereal of many years--Grape Nuts Flakes (not Grape Nuts--too crunchy for breakfast). The latter is sold everywhere, but right now I can only get the flakes at two places. And the price is ridiculous--around $5.85 a box! Ordering it online costs even more.
ReplyDeleteI find this cereal to be nutritious and delicious above all others I have tried. I was so excited when I learned that Walmart sold it for $3.12 a box. But then Walmart dropped it.
The happiest days of my life (well, that might be an exaggeration) are when I inadvertently find it for sale--for $2.99!--at one of these grocery stores. Recently I bought 9 boxes at one, then 6 a bit later at another because they only had 6 left. And I didn't worry about the expiration date because I knew it would be long gone by then.
I've looked in vain for a cereal that tastes similar and is at a decent prize. So far, no luck! Can you tell I'm passionate about Grape Nuts Flakes?
Margie, check the price per ounce, though. I think there is a lot less air per box in Grape Nuts Flakes.
DeleteMy husband eats them, too, is how I'm aware of this. And yes, they are getting harder to find!
Nowadays, cereal is a good snack. Of course, we ate it for breakfast every morning when we were kids. I loved Sugar Pops and Frosted Flakes, although we probably had more nourishing breakfasts more often. I don't remember.
ReplyDeleteI bake all types of whole grain breads that we have for our breakfasts now. That way I know exactly what we are eating. Some days we have eggs with them, but mostly just peanut butter. I get up really early on most days and read for a couple hours before my husband gets out of bed. That is a nice quiet time for me, drinking coffee and eating peanut butter toast on homemade bread.
Loved Raisin Bran in college. As a child, my parents Never bought sugary cereals, which I often found at friends' houses. Usually I ate eggs and bacon for breakfast. As a preteen, I started eating Cream of Wheat because I loved it. Now I can only eat gluten free non dairy cereal, which I often find at the local grocery shop. These days I get headaches from dairy and wheat!
ReplyDeleteDiana
I alternate between Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, and Strawberry Mini-Wheats. Throw in some Rice Krispies or something else now and then.
ReplyDeleteMy mom always said it looked like pet food, but I am fond of Cracklin Oat Bran. Dry, of course.
ReplyDeleteThe only cereal I eat these days is homemade granola, which reminds me that's on my to-do list for the weekend. All the store-bought ones are too sweet for me. Love steel cut oatmeal, too! Growing up, we had Grape Nuts and sometimes Raisin Bran.
ReplyDeleteI'm mostly boring in my cereal choices these days as I'm a Cheerios man. But I do like Frosted Flakes as well.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I'd eat most any kind of cereal except Raisin Bran and Wheaties. I mean Trix, Froot Loops, Captain Crunch Crunchberry, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and I can't forget Cookie Crisp and Apple Jacks as well. I'm sure there are others that I am forgetting but I ate a lot of cereal, it is hard to remember everything.
Even as a kid, I never liked sugary cereals or oatmeal. I had to give up Shredded Wheat, Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat because they were so fine and got caught in my throat. I still eat plain Cheerios, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, and Wheaties. When I was little, only milk went on the cereal but now I add blueberries and raisins sometimes. I alternate cereal with English muffins, toast, bagels, and sometimes eggs. But cereal is only for breakfast in my world.
ReplyDelete