By Patricia Finn
To celebrate Father’s Day, I am creating a new breakfast cereal in memory of my dad. My dad ate the same breakfast every morning. The menu never varied and although my mother was a working executive, she dutifully made and served him his breakfast. Shocking? We didn’t give it a second thought.
What did he eat every morning? Was it cereal? Eggs? Cereal was a minor part in a meal that began with half of a grapefruit, then corn flakes to which he added a tablespoon of wheat germ, then a soft-boiled egg, toast, and of course coffee.
It has been said that how you start your day is important. Breakfasts are important. They set the tone and the energy level for the day. With that in mind it is time to rescue breakfast from the world of cereal and pop tarts.
I plan to create a breakfast cereal that will start each day with a blast and will keep the energy going well past three, four and five p.m. My product will be nutritious, wholesome and I refuse to acquiesce to circles, squares, or flakes. Should I go with mush? No. I love oatmeal but let’s be honest, oatmeal lacks the desired “blast” element. I have it! Mini omelets that come to life when milk is added. Voila! I can work on the recipe later. The important marketing plan comes first.
A successful blast-into-your-day cereal needs a name that will propel it from the shelf to the grocery cart and that name is – drum roll please, or better yet, spoons tapping cereal bowls – Daddy-O’s. Each box of Daddy-O’s will be packed with a special treat. Each box will have a teeny, tiny book to read while eating the cereal. This is a part of my anti-electronic diversion plan. Too many breakfasts are spent staring at cell phones and scrolling emails for those all-important messages.
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The teeny tiny book will have READ ME on the cover inspired by the classic “Alice in Wonderland” and inside there will be a motivational verse or a thought for the day. Will the thought for the day be a quote from a famous historian or philosopher? A Bible verse, perhaps?
Or perhaps something a little more contemporary. (I’m conservative, but I am open to certain secular ideas that enhance and promote a high level of spiritual reality provided they are not day-to-day trash.) Perhaps a reggae inspired “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” or Alfred E. Newman’s classic “What, Me Worry?” People may ask: “I don’t know Miss Pat, mini-omelets, Bob Marley, Mad Magazine… Why not do something with chocolate? Chocolate is always a winner.”
It may take me awhile to get the cereal into production, so if you cannot find Daddy-O’s on your grocery shelf, I strongly suggest you celebrate Father’s Day with any gift of chocolate. We love you, dads!
Patricia Finn is the author of “Walking With My Foot In My Mouth” available on Amazon Books.
