I will probably never really understand how people can dislike brunch, especially people who love to cook. I know that there is bound to be some backlash as the brunch trend gets bigger, but this latest critic disappoints me. The author of the cookbook I use more than almost any other, Mark Bittman, doesn’t like brunch. Why? Because “it’s usually a huge fat bomb.” (via Brunch DC)
Okay, yes, you can consume more than half your day’s calories at brunch, but it certainly doesn’t need to be that way. We recently made buckwheat crepes stuffed with veggies, which would have been amazing with a fatty hollandaise sauce but a runny egg worked beautifully as well, while being a bit healthier. How about fruit salad without the unnecessary added sugar?
But at the end of the day, I can’t really disagree with his comment. The problem I have with the menus at many restaurants is that the serving sizes are too large, and brunch dishes are too often restrictive to one type of food – carb-heavy items like pancakes, or egg dishes. I have said many times that my favorite dish is one that lets me get a little bit of everything – but truly only a bit. I love pancakes, waffles, and french toast, but rarely order them for myself because the thought of eating that much of any of them is too much for me in one sitting. I really just want a taste of the sweet stuff on the side of my order of eggs.
The combo platter at Jimmy T’s is a perfect example of what I love – 2 eggs, a few strips of bacon, and a half of a waffle. Fat bomb, nope. A few more calories than I really need in one meal? Probably, but that combo plate will be my breakfast and lunch, and I generally follow up brunch with a long walk around the neighborhood and the farmers market.
So to all those brunch haters, try a bloody mary or mimosa, relax, and try to just enjoy brunch as a good meal. It’s at a great time on the day that allows you to sleep in but also have a whole afternoon to enjoy anything else you want to do with your weekend. You can eat breakfast foods or lunch foods, go to a fancy place or a dive, meet up with a huge group of friends or just one good pal, pig out on a fat bomb or stick with healthier choices…it’s whatever you want it to be. So what is there to really hate?
1 response so far ↓
Trevor Leb // June 9, 2009 at 6:58 pm |
You make a great point that brunch is replacing both breakfast and lunch and it’s really a comfort meal with comfort foods. I do agree with Bittman that brunch can often be a “huge fat bomb,” however as with any meal, the decision of what to eat lies solely upon your own shoulders. I’ve opted for the healthier options (i.e. egg white omelet with spinach and mushrooms) on several occasions, but eggs benedict is often too tempting.