Love and Hate - In The Name Of Brunch

You can say 'brunch' is a very "American" dining feature. What is it anyway? Is it a meal meant for people who slept in and passed the 'breakfast hour', but still too early for lunch? But then what's the point of creating a brunch hour between 11-4pm? Perhaps brunch is an early dinner if I were to take advantage of the brunch menu at 3:59pm?

New York is known for its brunch scenery. During the weekend, diners lazied around a restaurant with friends and families to catch up on the latest gossips and news or just as an excuse to extend more drinking from previous night. AYCD deal anyone?

Nevertheless, there's a love and hate feeling toward the idea of brunch. Some people don't like it because there's a long wait. When you've just waken and haven't eaten, a half an hour wait could seem like an eternity. Also, the brunch scene could be so chaotic that the kitchen, waitstaff, management and even the diners are all stressed out. Another issue is that the brunch menu is often limited to eggs and other carb-loaded dishes such as pancakes, waffles, and french toasts. Lunch menu is rarely served during the weekend.

For someone like me who don't eat eggs and shy from sweet and carb heavy meals during lunch time (I prefer to load up on carbs for breakfast instead), the brunch selections never satisfy me. I often have to resort to a small selection of salads, which again, are rarely vegetarian-friendly. But I can ask the kitchen to make changes, right? Well, I've tried, but since some places are just too busy, substitutions aren't honored. So how to satiate my appetite on a merely pile of greens? Well, I don't. I often need another snack an hour after my brunch, whereas my dining companion is still bloated from an obscene consumption of bacons and eggs.

That's why I would rather dine at a restaurant that serve lunch menu. Not only are there more creative dishes (and not just eggs, eggs, eggs), but you can truly experience the personality of the restaurant. However, I still like the brunch scene because I love to see diners eating and laughing, businesses doing well, and to enjoy a weekend without me cooking and cleaning. Eating out isn't only about the food (although that's a priority), but it's also the atmosphere and experience. I just have to arm myself with a piece of string cheese.