A Comparison of Breakfasts

Most everywhere we went in England, Mr X and I had the option of The Full English Breakfast. Mr X tried it once and never opted for it again. He prefers a more carb-y breakfast. I prefer a more meaty breakfast so I actually didn't mind it and usually opted for it rather than fruit and muesli with toast preserves, which was what Mr X usually had.

So what is the Full English?

Eggs: Scrambled, fried or poached

Pork sausages

A couple of slices of bacon (but in England bacon is what we Americans would refer to as ham.)

Baked beans

Roasted or fried tomatoes

Roasted or sauteed mushrooms

Toast

Roasted potatoes or hash browns

It's a BIG breakfast. I usually didn't eat it all, skipping the beans and mushrooms often.

The Full English Breakfast. (Photo found online.)

I found breakfast in the UK to be very different from the typical morning fare in France: coffee (or hot chocolate in my case) and a croissant. Italian and Spanish breakfasts tend to be similar to the French breakfast.

A common French breakfast. (Photo found online.)

The German breakfast is quite hearty like the English, but in very different ways. It's a cold breakfast of an array of sliced meats and cheeses with a rather extensive bread basket as well as other bread toppings such as butters, jams, nutella-like spreads, etc. It usually comes with a soft-boiled egg, which I like. Swiss, Austrian and Czech breakfasts tend to be very similar to German breakfasts.

Mr X and had several discussions about the various types of breakfasts we've enjoyed over the years. I suppose that due to our American upbringing we both prefer a heartier breakfast.

Mr X's favorites, in order of preference:
1) German
2) French
3) American
4) English (I guess the cooked tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans really put him off.)

Mine:
1) American
2) German
3) English
4) French (Although hot chocolate and croissants are delicious, I prefer my breakfasts less sweet and more filling. I was always hungry about 2 hours later and so I inevitably failed to withstand temptation when passing creperies or patisseries.)