The Brunch Strategy

I have a love and hate relationship with the fact that Americans think of eating as an activity. On the one hand: why not build a whole day around brunch? On the other hand, don't we have something more meaningful to do than consume?

This weekend, my partner and I, evidently, did not. Well, perhaps that is a little harsh. We worked on our graduate work and spent time both days together walking the dogs along Lake Michigan but we also planned a whole day around that mid-morning, sweet-meets-savory weekend meal. Cat spent (likely) weeks researching our options, most of which had a one word restaurant name (Jam, Bread, Oil, Fat, Carb....) before we decided on M Henry, located in a neighborhood that would only take about 30 minutes to get to. Our morning: wake up, walk dogs, make espresso and shoot the shit with roomie, walk dogs, leave for train, walk through new neighborhood while scouting out shops to pop into afterward, EAT, visit antique shop with fantastic vintage girl scout camping canteen (which looks like this, but which I still can't justify buying even on EBay), home, work, walk the dogs.

The problem with brunch is that it's trying to count for two meals, I often eat enough for three, and then am hungry for the second meal only a few hours later because I ate a bunch of sugar and salt and then over-caffeinated.

But here's what I've realized after my weekend with Cat that makes brunch successful. We share everything. We go out to eat, we order family style, we don't keep track of how much of what we consume, we just eat and enjoy and wait for fullness.

So when it comes to looking at the brunch menu, we choose a sweet dish (berry blast pancakes!) and a savory one (peasant quiche with green salad!) and swap back and forth until our waiters have returned to fill our water glasses a third time and are dizzy from our passing of plates. Why does this work? Why does this keep us from eating too much? Because we drink water between our switches, to clear our palates. Because switching itself takes time, which slows us down. Because knowing you are sharing food with someone adorable across the table makes you think about what you're leaving for them, causing you to take more balanced bites (not eating all the cherry tomatoes and buttery quiche crust). And you emerge from brunch satisfying your sweet tooth and your lean protein needs. Not to mention: you've slowed down and made an occasion out of a meal. Thirty bucks poorer, you make it to the train with only half a day ahead of you to waste on work.