Wednesday, October 31, 2007

What's "continental" about a continental breakfast?


What's "continental" about a continental breakfast?

Just because you live on a continent and are eating something in the morning, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a "continental breakfast." While croissants and hot chocolate in Belgium would qualify, penguin bacon and Sanka in Antarctica wouldn't. That's because "continental" refers to Europe, really mostly to France, which for many years enjoyed cultural hegemony over its neighbors.

A typical continental breakfast consists of "a breadstuff (such as toast, croissants, pastries) and coffee, tea, or other liquid." Furthermore, the continental breakfast is the "antithesis of the hearty English breakfast," in which you sit down to cereal, bacon, eggs, sausage, tomatoes, toast, marmalade, tea, and, most likely, some Alka Seltzer.

The continental breakfast concept isn't limited to Europe, as evidenced by the numerous American hotel chains that offer this service. And according to Ochef.com, some countries, especially those in Scandinavia, do add fruit and cheese to the bread menu, and even a boiled egg or salami.

http://www.top-greetings.com

4 comments:

  1. Everyday we are listening that the breakfast is the most important meal in the day. However, we dont take attention to this advertisement.
    Usually people take a cup of coffe and they go to their jobs.
    In other cases, people take a continental breakfast with used to be composeb of a cup of milk with chocolate or coffe, a tost with butter and mermelada and a piece of fruit. I used to do it when I have enough time.

    On the other hand we find the english breakfast compose of a cup of tea or coffe with a lot of fried things like eggs, bacon,omelette, etc which arent very healthy.

    SUSANA GARCIA MORENO 1º TURISMO

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  2. I usually have a cup of milk with cookies for breakfast. I think this is enough when I eat something more before lunch, but English breakfast is more heave because English people don't use to eat more than a sandwich until 7 o'clock... In spite of that, English breakfast is too heavy. I was there for 3 months and I got fat at least 3 kilos...

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  3. Then do you think that English breakfast is heavier?

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  4. Hi!

    I don't usually have continental breakfast because I don't like sweety food, so every morning I have a tomate toast with olive oil and some cheese or ham and a huge mug of tea with milk, very British, don't you think so?

    If I go to London I have beans and sausages,of course, mmmmmm I really love them.

    Belén López

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