Sandy Supposes....

Cereal/Serial Tales

Prompt: Talk Tuesday---March 7th was National Cereal Day. What are your top three favourite breakfast cereals?

         Oh, a personal question....personality based on cereal preference? Well, I will admit that I prefer fresh cereal; stale is simply ghastly. I do like Rice Krispies, the original flavour. They make a wonderful snack/dessert known as Rice Krispies squares which are the best when the cereal is not old and soft. There's nothing quite like the warm stickiness of melted marshmallows used in their creation. This brand also had an amusing television commercial in which the Mom read's a book in the privacy and serenity of her kitchen while her family awaits their just-made dessert in the dining room. When she was sufficiently ready, Mom splattered flour on her face, and carried the Rice Krispies squares out to her eager family. The insider joke was that it takes mere minutes to whip them together, but Mom wanted her family to think she'd toiled for a long time on their behalf.

         I am most definitely not a fan of sweetened cereals; no sugar or marshmallows for me. Even as a kid, I was able to ignore the imploring and brainwashing of ads for Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms, ( which was supposed to be " magically delicious"). I do not like Captain Crunch although the French name is intriguing: Capitaine Crouche. I remember Tony the Tiger touting Frosted Flakes. Froot Loops had Toucan Sam. My eldest referred to this cereal as "frooty hoops". And then there are Cheerios..... My kids knew them as "ro-ros".

          I returned from a surgery and hospital stay as a child with fond memories of a food that my mother never bought. I begged her to buy some for me, and despite wrinkling her nose and declaring me a strange little girl, she finally relented. What was that delectable treat? It was Cream of Wheat; yep, a bland, white substance to some. I still like it, and without any added sugar. Infrequently, I indulge a craving for oatmeal, the cereal "thick enough to stop a bullet".

         Now my third top cereal has to be Shreddies; the original recipe, not honey-nut or whatever. Again, I prefer them plain without sugar, and I've been known to eat them sans milk as well. A delicious snack mix can be concocted from this cereal when a blend of spices, peanuts, and pretzels are added.

          I still am amazed by the amount of cereal an older cousin of mine had to digest in order to get his hands on some empty boxes without piquing his mom's curiousity. He had a plan for all that packaging and he revealed it at Christmas. My aunt was stunned to discover twelve beautifully-wrapped gifts from her son under the tree. Opening the first present, she found a pair of mismatched slippers in an empty cereal box. Puzzled, she unwrapped eleven more packages before she had twelve, matched pairs of slippers. He never did do anything half-heartedly.