Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and what you poured in that cereal bowl as a child was a strong indicator of how well your day was going to turn out.
Did you have lenient parents that let you shovel a metric tonne of Coco Pops into your tiny mouth, sending you on the way to a dizzying sugar high?
Or were your elders so puritanical that the fanciest they ever got was swapping out the Bran Flakes for All Bran, making you feel like you just ate a bowl of paper?
As a child in the early 2000s, I personally really enjoyed a cereal called Quaker Pillows. As an avid reader of the backs of cereal boxes, the puzzles on this brand were a real intellectual challenge. The cereal itself was impeccable, and the mouthfeel was second to none.
Here’s the US version because these are discontinued in Ireland. Sadface. Via Target.com
There was also room in my heart for the odd box of Corn Pops which were rarely purchased. Even when they were, it was a requirement that I mix them with a boring cereal to make the packet last longer and retain all of my teeth. I miss Corn Pops all the time.
Gone but not forgotten. Via Kelloggs.com
I decided to put a question to the staff here in the office in the name of Journalism.
What was your favourite childhood cereal and why?
One respondent wrote that his family used to put tea in their cereal instead of milk. This is to me, completely unorthodox however I would not be above giving it a go.
Testimonials
‘Sugar Puffs. You had the Honey Monster, the best toys and the most sugar.’ A solid choice.
‘Ricicles – sugary goodness that knew no bounds. Best part was the end of the bag where all the dust would gather.’
‘Ricicles- The had these unreal foil stickers that would eventually take over my room and everything in it, oh and my bicycle, the side of the tv, my school books, fridge, cupboards…’ These sugar laden Rice Krispies were very popular.
‘Lucky Charms. Very exotic, the American cousins were always going on about them. Also I am a marshmallow fiend.’
‘Porridge, because my dad is really old and really old fashioned and thought that every other cereal was “poison”. I wanted Coco Pops.’ This information is upsetting to me. Porridge is nice, but Coco Pops it is not.
‘Cinnamon Grahams, because of the dusty cinnamon milk at the end of each bowl. I have three fillings.’
‘Rice Krispies – all the fun listening to the snap, crackle and pop! How easily we were pleased in those days!!’
‘Honey Nut Loops, because the sugar high would last for a week. ‘ My mouth would be HUMMING from the sugar in these for days afterwards.
‘Coco Pops on a Saturday morning with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the telly.’
‘Curveball… Ready Brek. Hot or cold. Enough sugar to make it almost a 1:1:1 ratio of brek:milk:sugar.’ I am a huge brek fan, and think that it is seriously underappreciated in the cereal world.
The Humble Brek. Reliable. Solid. Ready. via Weetabix.com
‘I loved Start when I was growing up but we rarely got it. Maybe that was the appeal. It had a good TV advert of a guy cycling a bike and him powering past the other guys because he had the cereal. This should not have meant much to me as I only learned how to cycle at 14.’
Asking the important questions always. You’re welcome.
Lead Image via Kelloggs
