why american breakfast?

Droolin   Monday, May 30, 2005, 02:58 GMT
was wondering about why people often call it american breakfast even if you're in England, Ireland, mars? what is so special having an extra egg omelet and doubled face sandwich?
think i would be breakfast or nothing.
american nic   Monday, May 30, 2005, 03:02 GMT
Never heard that term...
Frances   Monday, May 30, 2005, 03:03 GMT
I've never heard of the term either - maybe its a derogatory thing referring to how much Americans eat (not that Aussies are any better)
Travis   Monday, May 30, 2005, 03:19 GMT
I myself've never heard of that term as well either.
Bill H.   Monday, May 30, 2005, 03:24 GMT

Sorry but that term is a new one on me. I`ve heard Continental Breakfast and Trucker`s Breakfast(which is just a catch-all phrase for massive amounts of food @ one meal).
Kirk   Monday, May 30, 2005, 04:06 GMT
In Argentina I heard the terms "desayno inglés" and "desayuno norteamericano" ("English breakfast" and "American breakfast") referring to breakfasts that included more than the standard Argentine breakfast of a small bread or pastry and coffee. Most Argentines eat a small breakfast--at my host family's house we just ate a couple small croissants ("medialunas") and coffee for breakfast.

Of course, I'd venture to say most Americans have smaller breakfasts than what are known abroad as "American breakfasts." My breakfast is usually a bagel or yogurt, and then I eat more for lunch. Big breakfasts including things like pancakes, waffles, eggs, and bacon are rarer for me--most people don't have time in the mornings for such things, except for maybe on the weekends or just every once in awhile.

Also, even big breakfasts vary considerably amongst Americans, and preferences may be formed by cultural backgrounds. When I'm with my family and we do a big breakfast, it usually includes Swedish pancakes (my Swedish great-grandmother's recipe) or æbleskiver (also from the Swedish side of the family, even tho those are Danish in origin..they're like little pancake balls or rolls, and you put apple slices in them and/or powdered sugar or lingonberries on top).
Kirk   Monday, May 30, 2005, 04:08 GMT
"desayno inglés"

oops, that should be "desayuno." That's pronounced [desaSuno] in Buenos Aires.
Travis   Monday, May 30, 2005, 04:10 GMT
I myself usually tend towards having quite small breakfasts, consisting usually of just a bagel and a glass of orange juice, when I have breakfast at all, for that matter. I really don't know where the idea that Americans have large breakfasts came from in the first place, except for the general idea that Americans eat a lot, for whatever reason.
Kirk   Monday, May 30, 2005, 04:57 GMT
A bagel with some kind of drink--maybe coffee, orange juice, or milk, is my idea of a perfect breakfast for a normal weekday morning (always rushing off to class or work--I never leave any more than the bare minimum morning preparation time before class or work). If I have more time I might make a small bowl of oatmeal.
Deborah   Monday, May 30, 2005, 05:01 GMT
The biggest breakfasts I've seen were in Russia.
Frances   Monday, May 30, 2005, 05:23 GMT
That's it! Russian breakfast! We have to spread the word. You know it should be the biggest meal in the day. In Australia, dinner is - which is wrong really because you don't need much energy to sleep and it just adds more weight to you.
Kazoo   Monday, May 30, 2005, 05:37 GMT
Speaking of big breakfasts, I heard that while Americans have the highest obesity rates in the world, suprisingly, Australia and Sweden are second and third, respectively.
Jack   Monday, May 30, 2005, 05:51 GMT
I enjoy American Breakfast like the ones in Mc Donalds but when you compare them to a English fry up mmmm its no match.
Deborah   Monday, May 30, 2005, 06:01 GMT
What's in a fry up?
Kirk   Monday, May 30, 2005, 06:07 GMT
<<I enjoy American Breakfast like the ones in Mc Donalds>>

Haha, I find it funny how the world sees American food thru the eyes of McDonalds. Not to be elitist or anything (I'm not a food elitist...I'll eat most things pretty happily), but I really don't think its food is that great or necessarily representative of what I or many other Americans eat on a daily basis. However, I do sometimes like getting their fries.

Anyway, back to the language question, I'm also wondering what a fry up is--I'm waiting to be enlightened :)