According To Rick Steves, This American Meal Fascinates Europeans

There is rhetoric that, compared to European meals, American meals are too big, too caloric, and too over-the-top. And there is some truth to that. After all, we have eateries that offer competitive eating-style dishes where diners who consume a ridiculous amount of food in a set period of time receive prizes, from T-shirts to getting their photo posted on the wall. You'd be hard pressed to find anything like this in a European restaurant. But, while many people across the pond may scoff at our food choices, there does seem to be a large agreement that we are doing something right: breakfast.

European travel expert, author, and television host, Rick Steves, has a lot of contacts and friends scattered all over Europe, and he has noted that several of them find our whole breakfast ritual fascinating. In an article on his website, Steves recounted a conversation with a Roman tour guide, writing, "She's charmed by our breakfast culture and that we 'meet for breakfast.' She says you would never see families going out for breakfast in Italy."

Speaking about a group of Italian friends, Steves recalled that they absolutely loved bacon and eggs, hash browns, and omelets, and that when it came to breakfast, America set the bar for greatness. Still, when abroad, he eats as they do, enjoying the local specialties and, of course, teaching others how to save money on breakfast when traveling in Europe, however he can.

Breakfast in Europe can be very good, of course. A full English breakfast includes bacon and eggs, plus lots of other savory goodies like beans, tomatoes, and toast (Gordon Ramsay makes an incredible hangover cure sandwich using these ingredients); German breakfast is a filling affair with eggs, cheese, cold cuts, and breads; the French enjoy bread with butter and jam, and a cup of coffee; and an Italian breakfast of focaccia and cappuccino offers a simple but tasty way to start the morning. But while Europeans don't stray from having the same or very similar breakfasts every morning, Americans often eat several different foods each morning of any given week.

A Reddit user commented on the breakfast differences between the two continents, noting in a thread that many Americans could easily start their day with cold pizza on Monday, a smoothie on Tuesday, and a bowl of cereal on Wednesday — and no one would bat an eye at the inconsistency. Although Rick Steves appreciates the individual foods of the places he visits, he clearly enjoys a big breakfast full of variety, too. He cites Scandinavian smorgasbords as being well worth the price for the amount of food, which can include, bread, cheeses, yogurt, cereals, eggs, fish, cold cuts, and waffles.