Hear me out on this one: I don't like brunch. It's not that I don't like breakfast food, hanging out with friends, or going out to eat, it's just that eating brunch doesn't live up to the hype.
I've never understood the appeal of overeating so early in the day, eating food that is decadent for the sake of being decadent, or spending a ridiculous amount of money to do so. And sadly, hyped up meals almost never live up to your expectations.
Before sending death threats, at least consider my beef with brunch.
1. It's Too Much Food
Brunch is all about overeating. People typically feel overwhelmed by all the delicious options and inevitably end up ordering way more food than they'd normally eat at any meal.
This makes overeating look like the only way to properly brunch, which glamorizes stuffing yourself. When put next to the ideal body social media has established, this contradiction can make people struggle with body insecurity.
Besides leading people to make themselves sick with food and glorifying binging, this overabundance is wasteful. By ordering more food than one could ever reasonably consume, most of a meal goes to waste. Few people remember to eat their leftovers. This waste of food is the main reason behind my dislike for brunch.
2. The Timing is Really Inconvenient
I have never been able to figure out what other meals you're supposed to eat on a day when you go out for brunch. Do you eat breakfast before? Lunch after?
Neither feels right. If I don't eat before, I'll be #hangry and most likely over-order when I show up, but if I do eat breakfast, I won't be hungry again by brunchtime. I'm never hungry enough for lunch afterwards, but if I eat nothing post-brunch, I'm ravenous by dinnertime. It's confusing for me, especially since I follow a pretty similar eating routine everyday.
Overeating in the middle of the day makes no sense to me. It is so much harder to get anything done for the rest of the day after brunch, because you have to recover from your food coma first. Brunch has a way of derailing your plans for the rest of the day.
3. It's Too Decadent for No Good Reason
Most brunch foods are ridiculous versions of normal breakfast foods. On the sweet side, there are pimped-out waffles, overstuffed crepes, and indulgent pancakes. The savory options aren't any healthier, with eggs Benedict and shrimp and grits being two common, fattening mainstays.
Although some people seem to treat it as such, brunch is not a holiday. I think that decadent food is great if the decadence stems from the quality of ingredients, intricacy of preparation, or life-altering flavors. But if a meal is super rich and unhealthy just for the Insta or just because it can be, there's nothing special about it.
To be clear, I'm all for treating yourself with foods you really enjoy, but brunch has become a ritual of eating unhealthy foods just for the sake of eating unhealthy foods. This makes decadent food less of a treat, ruining what makes it special.
4. It's Just a Meal...
Don't get me wrong, breakfast food is delicious, and going out to eat with friends is lots of fun. But the hype around brunch has been taken way too far, in my opinion.
Unlike the words "breakfast", "lunch", or "dinner", the word "brunch" has become a fad in its own right. No one says #lunchgoalz or "dinnering with my girls". I feel as though people hype up brunch because it's trendy, not necessarily because they actually enjoy it.
Most people are there for the Insta, to stuff themselves, or to drink mimosas at midday, not to enjoy the food or each other's company. Meals with friends are a great way to catch up and unwind, and hyping up brunch so much takes away from that.
Also, chefs like Anthony Bourdain have spoken out about why they aren't fans of serving brunch. Check out this article to see the meal from the chef's perspective.
If you are still in love with brunch, all the power to you. I am personally not a fan, as you can tell, but you can do whatever makes you happy. However, please understand that not everyone is enamored with brunch, and that preferring to stick to three main meals doesn't make you a Debbie-Downer.
I'm still a foodie, and pretty #basic, even though I don't like brunch – I do write for Spoon, after all.