Year 2, Day 18: The End of the World as We Know It

Mostly, I felt fortunate to grow up when I did. During my time, Educational programming such as Sesame Street, Car Seats and other things that theoretically promoted better childhoods came into being. However there is one thing I noted when I was leaving my childhood that I sensed was a harbinger of the end of the world. It was Cookie Crisp cereal. Now no one disagrees that most cereals aimed at kids were sugar-laden garbage. Why two of my favorite cereals growing up actually had Sugar in their names— Sugar Pops (renamed Corn Pops) and and Sugar Smacks (renamed Honey Smacks). But at least all of those cereals started out with something that kids regarded as healthful enough to disdain— wheat puffs, corn, or rice. But with Cookie Crisps, they abandoned even the premise that breakfast should be nutricious. I mean, if you think about it, you should be incensed! The cereal company is actually trying to say "forget the compromise you're already making by letting your kid have empty calories, white sugar and white flour for breakfast! Just encourage the worst possible eating habits—dessert for breakfast! As kids, you WANT dessert for breakfast, but you NEVER EXPECTED YOUR PARENTS TO GIVE IT TO YOU. Tragically, this decision was followed shortly by other no-account cereal companies that introduced "Reeses Puffs", "Ore-Os" and yes, "Dunkin Donuts Cereal" (in Chocolate and Glazed). There are more offensive cereals now on the market, but I only have so much time. Interestingly, the floodgates of the worst cereals hit the market around 1987—when a Republican president had been in office for seven years. And you thought it couldn't get any worse.


Breakfast
1 Cup Kashi Go Lean
1/4 cup Grape Nuts
1 cup Unsweetened soy milk
Tea

Snack
25 Cashews

Lunch:
Sirloin Tips
Cherry Peppers
Salad

Dinner
Shrimp du Emily
Green Beans
1 oz. Cracker Barrel Cheese
1 cracker

Efluvia
50% of a blood orange

No walk today, it was quite nippy. I hoped I could get away from the office early, but I ended up leaving just before five. It was all in all a fairly predictable day, except for a meatTASTIC lunch.