Last month, I was dutifully sawing through a hunk of old wheat bread with a dull steak knife. Much to my surprise, the steak knife buckled, and the blunt steel end of the blade broke through the skin of my right palm (for the masochist: this particular knife is still available at Meijer).

That was an unquestionable you-know-you-have-a-problem-when… moment. I nursed my wound and rushed to Downtown Home and Garden to pick out a more reliable knife for cutting bread.

I chose this Dexter-Russel knife because it looked brutish enough to handle week-old bread, and I liked the offset design. I brought it home and cut through a loaf of ciabatta with ease. My dad had always told me that bread knives are ideal for slicing through soft tomatoes. A sharp chef’s knife will do the trick, but my new bread knife was equally smooth. And the feedback of a serrated knife is very fulfilling. That slight vibration makes me feel like I’m operating a miniature chain saw.

No bread has yet put up a fight against my bread knife. I started buying more durable loaves and keeping them in the pantry for longer, but I reached the limit of my ability to bite into the bread long before my new knife met any resistance.

I have only one concern with this knife:  This is a long, serrated instrument that can cut through anything, makes me feel like I’m holding a chainsaw, and has the name Dexter inscribed in its handle. How long do I have before I decide to cut into some more…alive?

This summer I was lucky enough to spend some time abroad studying in Europe, and during this time I was able to experience some really interesting breakfast traditions. As Americans, we are not only one of the only countries that consider eggs and pancakes to be a normal breakfast, but we eat some of the largest portions for breakfast than anywhere else. Finally, it seems that many of our traditional breakfast foods are considered desert to our somewhat distant neighbors.


Our first stop was England. On one of our first mornings in Salisbury we were treated to a traditional English breakfast. This was comprised of eggs, sausage, hash browns, baked beans, and grilled tomato slices. Coffee, tea, orange juice, and warm milk were available as well. In London bran cereal was available, and we also had the choice of an apple or orange as well. We were also happy to find that the milk was no longer at room temperature, but slightly chilled. On a side note, waffles, although a common breakfast item in the US, were viewed as a dessert in England. Not only were there carnival type stands selling them topped with chocolate and fruit, but they were available in vending machines and grocery stores as well. 


The next stop was France. In Paris we woke up to a bread heavy French breakfast. Each morning a tray with a croissant, half a baguette, orange juice, and your choice of coffee with milk (café au lait), tea, or hot chocolate was given to each hungry hotel guest. The table also displayed trays of different jams, fruits, cheeses, and of course, lots of Nutella.


Breakfast in Germany, and also Holland consisted primarily of cold-cuts, a variety of cheeses, large flaky rolls called Brötchen, and sweet spreads such as jam and chocolate hazelnut spreads. Cold cereals were available at most places but the options were usually granola, or bran flakes. The milk in many of the cities was served at room temperature, but at our hostels it was chilled. 


So, maybe the next time you are considering what to eat for breakfast, you might consider whipping up one of these traditional meals.