Breakfast

Śniadanie

Appears in

Fresh From Poland: New Vegetarian Cooking from the Old Country

Published 2021

About

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, but this wasn’t always the case. In childhood, breakfast and I had a fairly complicated relationship. I can’t say that I was a fussy eater (though my parents would disagree!), but daily breakfasts were an anguish. My parents made sure that I wouldn’t leave the house hungry, so they woke me up really early, as eating anything took me ages.

However, when weekends came along, with lazy breakfasts, the situation changed dramatically. Nobody was rushing and the food started to taste better. There were various bread rolls and generously buttered rye bread; fresh fruits and vegetables; twaróg, and Jajecznica—eggs straight from the countryside, soft-boiled or scrambled with brown butter (Brown Butter Scrambled Eggs). As I got older, I realized that I’m not happy to eat the food of duty or physiological need—but I really love to eat for pleasure. I savor the taste and delight in spending time around a table. Nowadays, I happily celebrate every meal, beginning with breakfast.