Forget the Rice Krispies and the Shredded Wheat. Forget the toast and marmalade, the pancakes and syrup. To heck with the bagels and cream cheese, the yogurt and berries.
Bacon and eggs to start the day? No way. I'm going with chocolate cake.
This, after a study out of New York's Syracuse University that applauds the effects of chocolate. The sweet stuff cannot only improve brain function, the researchers determined; it can also help you lose weight. Magnifico. Not entirely sure how this works. Something about breakfast being the most important meal of the day, and the fact that big-calorie morning meals can result in fewer cravings later on, and far less evening snacking. Whatever. Not really clear on the science. I care only about the fact that I can pair my morning coffee with a big ole slice of chocolate cake, dripping with chocolate icing and perhaps with chocolate ice cream on the side.
On second thought: I'll scrap the coffee, and go with a chocolate shake.
Yep, breakfast's about to get a whole lot more fun.
"What shall we have for breakfast?" the husband will ask some Saturday soon. "Waffles? Sausages and English muffins? Cheese omelets?" "No way!" I'll say. "Don't you remember that study? I was thinking brownies. Or chocolate mousse. Or chocolate cheesecake. Or chocolate pudding. Or chocolate fondue. Or chocolate sundaes."
"Chocolate mousse might take too long," the husband might say. "Same with cheesecake. And I'm really, really hungry."
"Point taken," I'll say.
"Maybe we should just have chocolate bars."
No reason, I suppose, why we couldn't expand on the plan and bring in a host of desserts at brekkie time. If chocolate cake is OK, I have to assume pecan pie would be too. And pineapple upside down cake. And peanut butter-banana fritters.
We'll get used to this very, very quickly.
It may, however, come as a surprise to any house guests, especially if they're accustomed to more traditional breakfast fare.
They'll wander into the kitchen, perhaps expecting scrambled eggs or blueberry pancakes, but those won't be on the menu. They'll be surprised - and pleasantly, I hope - when I present them with chocolate donuts with chocolate icing, and glasses of chocolate milk on the side.
Indeed, breakfast's about to get an awful lot more interesting. But it has nothing to do with taste, of course. It's simply a matter of science.
