HG is writing this post after a breakfast of oatmeal produced by an Israeli organic farmer transplanted to Prince Edward Island after years of farming in Turkey. Best oatmeal in the world, far surpassing imports from Ireland and Scotland. (Check the HG archive for Oct. 9. 2017 post on oatmeal). BSK cooks oatmeal with dried cranberries, cherries and raisins and serves it with Vermont (or Canadian) maple syrup. Makes the dish lush. Congee, the Asian rice porridge, is another cold weather breakfast treat. Others are: Polenta or Geechie Boy Grits topped with BSK’s perfect poached eggs; softly scrambled eggs in 505 Green Chile Sauce; Quaker Oats grits cooked with cream cheese and mixed with parmesan. In HG’s youth, the little fellow ate a steaming bowl of Wheatena, a grainy wheat porridge (oddly created on Mulberry Street in NYC back in 1879) flavored with a big chunk of butter and sprinkled with kosher salt. The beverage was Droste’s Cocoa. Nourished by this breakfast, HG hustled off to Public School 86 to absorb the spelling and arithmetic lessons that have aided HG throughout his long life.
I wonder if Wheatena is still around? I am curious to sample it. Have you heard of Uncke Sam Cereal? It is a high-fiber, ready-to-eat cereal. It has a low glycemic index and has an exceptionally high amount of omega-3 per serving because of the flaxseed. Regards to you my friend. I hope you and BK have a wonderful Thanksgiving complete with a full regalia of gastronomic delights, blessings and love!!!
Don’t know about Wheatena but Uncle Sam is powerful stuff. The best laxative.
I have a box of Wheatena in my cupboard right now. It is toasted whole grain wheat. Currently produced by an independent distributor, whatever that means. When I was a kid (I’m 64 now), we simply called it “Ralston”, probably because it was made by Ralston Purina, which eventually stopped making people food, and which was eventually acquired by Nestle. We called it Ralston in the same way my grandmother called the refrigerator the Frigidaire, regardless of the brand.
You can find it in the supermarket or on Amazon, if you prefer having it dropped by drone.?