Cereal and I: A Childhood Love Affair

Cereal and I go way back. As a kid I was utterly fascinated by cereal flotillas sailing on a sea of skim milk in my coveted plastic Tony the Tiger bowl. I lived for that morning bowl of Frosted Flakes.

I had a wholesome devotion to my favorite breakfast cereal brands, but sometimes made exceptions if the right color GoGo Gadget magnifying glass lucky-mood-ring came along with it. My mom was only too happy to sponsor my steady diet of bran cereals to promote regular bathroom visits, but the best ideas for breakfast in my mind, were the ones with cartoon spokespeople on the package. It was a glorious day when my mother would put away her coupon collection, overlook the ingredients and let ME do the cereal shopping for the newest addition to the pantry.

Weekends Were Made For Cereal & Milk

Saturday & Sunday were always highlight-reel cereal days. I’d wake up before anybody else in my family and sneak down the hall in my one piece Darkwing Duck pajamas, with two things on my mind: Apple Jacks & cartoons.

Back then a well “balanced breakfast” simply meant making it to the couch with a bowl full of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, a gallon of milk, and the remote control for morning cartoons. I can still hear my mom call from her bedroom, “Manny, don’t make a mess in the family room!” (Yes mom, I know,…don’t make a mess in the famly room)

Some of my fondest memories of friends center around some coveted box of cereal. My best friend Charles and I had a game that we would play whenever we ate breakfast together. We’d each take a cereal box and try to guess the other’s nutritional facts. It was a simple game, but to this day I can still tell you that Lucky Charms has 2.1 grams of protein in a serving. Who says that children aren’t concerned with the nutritional value of the things they eat?

At the prodigal old age of 9, it somehow boggled my mind that anyone could willingly reach for the healthy whole grain, low carb, high fiber, NO FUN bland bran. Now that I’m older my taste has changed…slightly.

I still pay attention to the nutrition facts, not for playing the patented nutrition label guessing game, but for breakfast cereal’s actual value in my diet. My childhood favorites will always have a place in my heart. I confess. Sometimes, when the sun rises just right, you’ll find me sneaking down the hall in my one piece CSI pajamas with two things on my mind: Apple Jacks & Good Morning America.

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Kids Cereal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.