Let’s Talk! – Ground Cinnamon Sprinkled Over Sugared Toast

Are you ready to switch off your screens and ponder or discuss another writing/conversation prompt during dinner tonight? You want to know about my thoughts on it? Here’s my take:

Breakfasts in most countries seem to be sweet. I grew up on open jam sandwiches and cocoa as a little one. I hated both. I have always been a person rather for the savory choices. I had none back then. Breakfast was my least liked meal in the day. A soft-boiled egg on Sundays was a feast for me.

Later, my mother chopped up oranges and nuts, added oat flakes and sugar, and left the option of adding milk or yogurt with us. When I entered fifth grade, I opted out of milk and/or cocoa. It always made me gag and hurt my stomach. It had been deemed healthy. Today, we all know that there are different degrees of milk product allergies. And later in my teens, I requested open sandwiches topped with a slice of cheese or some cold cuts on it – I received them, and breakfast became a meal I liked. Today, when the only savory choices at a motel/hotel breakfast over here include cream cheese and hardboiled eggs, guess what goes on my toasted bread!

Boxed cereals, French toast, or – God forbid! – the idea of sugared toast with cinnamon sprinkled on top were not even considered breakfast concepts when I grew up. Only in the mid-70s, boxed cereals seemed to conquer the German market. But at pretty much the same time the environmental movement entered the stage, as well; so, it was muesli everywhere, even in hotels that served breakfast. French toast was not known – the German variant of Armer Ritter (pronounce: ‘urmah ritter, meaning poor knight) is usually made with stale bread. There were fancier Zwieback products later on, sprinkled with sugar or with coconut flakes – but we had these instead of cake or cookies for weekday afternoon coffee/tea sometimes.

Sure, I LOVED toast. Why? Probably because it was deemed some extra-special version of bread anywhere, only to be had on festive occasions when you were permitted to eat “unwisely”. Our normal bread-intake was very sensible German breads. Toast (aka wonder bread) didn’t even count as bread in my home. Today, I understand why. It doesn’t fill you up unless you eat insane amounts, and its nutritional value is highly debatable. So, I may have had toast to my heart’s delight a very few times at my home when guests were invited, and we had huge platters and bowls of fancy toppings to go with it. Or I stuffed myself with the crispy, light stuff when we were invited. The mix of ground cinnamon and sugar remained a topping for semolina pudding or home-made morning cereals anywhere.

Toast made it big time in the 1960s and 70s in Germany as Toast Hawaii, though (and I admit, I still love the flavors); basically, it’s a pineapple pizza with toast underneath instead of the pizza dough. You found it on pretty much every restaurant menu. Because toast and pineapple were fads back then. But even though toast was often used for smorgasbords, it never really made it out of the fancy corner, I think. And as it soaks through so easily, it was often replaced by baguette or artisan bread.

Ground cinnamon sprinkled over sugared toast … it sounds like some soul food for someone with a sweet tooth. I prefer a decent slice of almost any “real” bread with some savory topping any day. But if you’re my guest and wish for some, you bet I’ll make it for you.