American Dining: Breakfast

[peacetraveler22]

Every weekend, I look forward to delicious breakfasts with my family. Sometimes I'm treated to a home cooked meal from my parents, but often the entire family goes to a restaurant for Sunday breakfast. This weekend, I decided to take a few pics with my iPhone to show you what we eat. I don't think American breakfast differs much from the Russian version. In many parts of the world, people are eating eggs and meat to start the day, and we do also. My favorite thing is pancakes! You can see based on this photo that the American version is much thicker than typical Russian pancakes. We have so many varieties of this dish, with various toppings. I always get chocolate chips baked into mine. Not the healthiest option, but tasty! Weekends are meant for indulgence. :)

1. Of course, you can eat the pancakes bare and plain, but most people pick a more decadent option. The most common are pancakes covered in various fruits like strawberries or blueberries, topped with jam and whipped cream. Personally, these options are too sweet for me first thing in the morning. You will see that the American theme of "red, white and blue" is even woven into part of the breakfast menu.



2. Other breakfast options. Prices are very cheap for a lot of food. A large portion of eggs, meat, potatoes and bread for under $8 USD. Easy to find cheap, good food almost everywhere in the States.



3. At this restaurant, known as "Bob Evans," I always get the same meal. "Farmer's Choice" breakfast which includes eggs, choice of ham, bacon or sausage, potatoes and either pancakes or French toast. Common for Americans to put cheese in almost everything, and I always get cheddar cheese and onions added to my eggs. In most places, it's easy to make menu adjustments to your liking by adding or subtracting ingredients. I'm very anal about my scrambled eggs, preferring them lightly scrambled with no hint of brown or burned pieces from the grill. On this day, the cook made them to perfection. :) Cost for this meal is around $8 USD.



4. My dad gets the same meal, but with French toast instead of pancakes. Do you eat this in Russia? It's thick slices of bread, dipped in egg yolk and then pan fried. Usually, we cover it with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I don't like it.



5. You can order breakfast at anytime, but lunch and dinner options are only available after 11 a.m. In the past few years, it's become common for American restaurants to offer package deals where you get salad or soup, meat, vegetable, potato and dessert for one price. At this restaurant, prices for the combo meals are between $11 - 13 USD. On this photo, you can see a baked sweet potato, covered with butter and cinnamon. It's a type of orange squash or yam.



6. My sister ordered the smokehouse chicken, with baked potato, broccoli soup, banana nut bread and a strawberry sundae for dessert. We often add a lot of toppings to baked potatoes like butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, chives, etc., but this one is naked.



7. Other combo options. Turkey, fish, steak, burgers and chicken are all choices.



8. Almost all restaurants have separate kids menus, with a lot of options. Usually the menus are interactive, with games, puzzles and pictures for coloring. I didn't notice kids menus in any Russian restaurants, but I wasn't really looking for them.  A lot of places provide crayons for coloring and drawing on the menus. The meals are only $2.99 USD, and on Tuesdays kids eat free at this place. Typical kids food like chicken fingers, mac 'n' cheese and spaghetti. But also healthy options like grilled chicken, and fruit is a side option instead of fries. They always try to decorate the kids food with funny designs, making pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse or a pig.



9. I saw the most creative kids pasta in Latvia! How cute, to make the pasta meal into an insect. :)



10. Typical to have a counter for solo diners, where they can sit and enjoy a meal in silence or chat with neighbors if they're in a social mood. I have no problem going to a restaurant and sitting at a table or booth by myself, but some people find it strange and awkward.



11. Here's the bill for breakfast. Total cost for four adults and one child - $49.41.



12. If you're in America, look for this restaurant. They are located all over the States, and you will enjoy some good home-cooked food, with large portions - American style! Maybe some of you have already eaten here?



13. Restaurant decor and motto - "You won't go hungry around here!" I think the same can be said of any American restaurant.



It seems to me that Americans eat at restaurants more often than most Russians. We have a lot of options, can eat good food for cheap prices, and restaurants are woven into our social culture.

What's your favorite breakfast food? For those of you who have visited America, which restaurant did you enjoy most or least?

Tomorrow I'll show you another restaurant, where I frequently eat dinner. Nom Nom! :))

Comments

[anna-sollanna.livejournal.com]

Wow! So many delicious food!
I like pancakes and till some time I thought that it was a dish of the Russian cuisine only. So I was very glad to know that there are pancakes in other cuisines too. (Though they look not utterly like Russian ones. :))) I think pancakes with berries and cream must be extremely delicious!
As for French toasts - as far as I remember my mother used to cook some kind of similar looking toasts, but it was long long ago... Maybe it was in the Soviet time, when it was very difficult to buy tasty pastry and we used to cook all these things by ourselves.
> You can order breakfast at anytime
Superb idea! As far as I know it is not possible in our restaurants, but very often I like to eat all these breakfasts dishes (pancakes, omelets and so on) for supper. Or just during the day...
But what I definitely can't eat for breakfast is all meat and chicken and fish things, pasta, potatoes and so on. For me they are too heavy and suitable only for lunch and later meals.
> I didn't notice kids menus in any Russian restaurants
As far as I noticed there are a lot of restaurants with kids menus in Saint-Petersburg.
> It seems to me that Americans eat at restaurants more often than most Russians.
I think it's again because of our Soviet legacy. In the Soviet times there were only 2 types of restaurants here - cafeterias with cheap but non-tasty food (sometimes even not edible at all) and real restaurants for party elite and similar staff. So ordinary people were able to eat tasty food only at home. That is why Russian people are still used to cook by themselves, not to eat in restaurants.
> What's your favorite breakfast food?
I prefer to eat cottage cheese with sour cream or sometimes sweet cottage cheese or oat porridge when I am at home. I can also eat omelets and eggs, pancakes and curd casserole, but I am too lazy to cook them for breakfast by myself. :)))

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I think in general American restaurants are more flexible than Russian ones. :) I remember waitresses seemed to get upset with me in Russia if I asked for rice instead of potatoes, or tried to alter the dish on the menu somehow. In America, it's not a problem to substitute items. If the menu says the dish comes with mashed potatoes, you can almost always change to baked potato, or even a vegetable instead. I also like to eat breakfast all times of the day. :) Btw, I'm trying to plan a surprise trip to the Maritime provinces in Canada for my parents in September. If everything works out, we will visit Prince Edward Island, home of Anne of Green Gables. :))

[323mersy.livejournal.com]

The most important things are ingredients. Sorry to say, but in USA 90% of them are rubbish, because of nutrition lack. Nutrition disappear during growing, processing and cooking of American food. You may cook thousands of different dishes, serve nicely in a proper time and beautiful place but they still are rubbish, which lead to allergies, diabetes, different intestinal diseases ...

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Lack of nutrition? This is dependent on the person. It's simple to find organic, healthy foods in all stores in the U.S. Whether someone chooses to buy or eat them is another matter.

[323mersy.livejournal.com]

Nutrition are minerals and vitamins. For ex. when raspberry contain 40 times less iron then natural raspberry, your portion should be 40 times bigger to satisfy your body with nutrition. I am very said that American people are fed with wheat fodder (by Russian standard), artificially corrected by dry gluten, what leads to many diseases. There is no milk without vitamin "D" in shops, and so on and so on. I believe American people deserve natural quality ingredients for their meals. I talked with one lady in shop, who worked there for 20 years, she sad for good natural product American people have not enough money, "very few people can afford them".
Every state of the country decides what is "organic" mean in its state. So there is no standard for this term. Yes, it is very simple to find product with sigh "organic", but never knows what does it mean.

Shannon, you are lower and probably know, is it truth that impossible to claim suit against "Monsanto" and some other companies which produce GMO?
This article in Russian but you can see the numbers of the law - HR 933, amendment 735
http://communitarian.ru/publikacii/novyy_mirovoy_poryadok_metody/korporaciyu_monsanto_postavili_vyshe_sudebnoy_vlasti_i_prava_cheloveka_na_zhizn_01042013/?sphrase_id=2563454

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I don't know about this law, but Monsanto has some of the top lobbyist working for them, so it would not surprise me if the company gets bills passed which highly favor its position and economics. However, I'm sure some clever lawyer can find a loop hole in the text of the law which allows Monsanto to be sued. Btw, Monsanto has an office in my work building, and we are often barricaded in due to environmental protests outside the entrance. One day, I could not leave because all doors were locked in and out of the building. These protesters, many of whom dress like bumble bees, are passionate but also aggressive. :) Here they are standing outside my work:

[323mersy.livejournal.com]

Sorry for delayed reply.
Yes, more and more people realize how dangerous the products of Monsanto , which has hundreds different other names now. Most of food in your pictures consist ingredients of this company. I am sure that "... clever lawyer can find a loop hole in the text of the law...", but where are they hiding? :) I see rows of clever lawyers who help the company whose product is harmful for human and environment while the ordinary people use partisan's methods of struggle.
And is it normal when one company put itself higher than the whole country?

"... it would not surprise me if the company gets bills passed which highly favor its position and economics..."

For what account this favor?

[skysheep.livejournal.com]

Are you going to do the same for american lunch and american dinner? Mind if I translate and repost with a link back to you?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I wrote about dinner at Cracker Barrel, but it was more about the restaurant than the food. It's one of my recent posts. Have you eaten there? :) Feel free to translate the breakfast post, or any of my posts. Thanks for checking first.

[amandakysses.livejournal.com]

Yummy! I love a good breakfast! My favorite is an omelet. But Im super picky and make all kinds of additions and substitutions to create my perfect one. And then I get potatoes/hashbrowns and whole wheat toast. I dont like sweet things like pancakes or waffles or french toast when Im out at restaurants. But, I love frozen eggo waffles at home. Isnt that funny?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I don't like sweets for breakfast either, even doughnuts are too much for me that early in the morning. But I can handle a few chocolate chips, and always get them added to my pancakes. :) I like IHOP's the best.