I’m really happy that I finally have an apartment with a kitchen! Down with dining hall food! I feel cleaner, lighter, and more satisfied and independent than ever! So much for kitchen poetry…
I was walking in Shaw’s Supermarket the other day, and remembered the first time I came to the States. It was around 2003, and I was about 14-15. My whole family came to the East Coast for a vacation. We started with Disney World in Orlando, then Washington DC, NYC, State College in Pennsylvania, Pittsburg, Boston, and Niagara falls. We visited friends, went to museums, saw shows, sights, etc. We wanted to go shopping just for the fun of it. Honestly, we didn’t think we’d find something completely different from what was available back home or from what we had already seen in Western Europe. But I remember that one thing really struck us.
The supermarkets. We went to a supermarket in State College, PA that was as big as the biggest mall in Sofia at that time (TZUM). It had an incredible assortment of food that we had never seen before. It had piles of shiny big fruit that were so beautiful they almost looked artificial (today, I know that they indeed taste artificial). It had Italian bread, Turkish delight, Arabic dates, Spanish gazpacho, Russian borsch, Greek olives. Finally, one thing completely blew our minds.
The aisle with cereal. I bet this was the longest aisle in the store, and it was packed with boxes of cereal: crisp choco crunch frost flake bran berry buzz blast apple maple raisin banana cinnamon pecan almond wheat rice oat corn honey mini multi squares puffs pebbles clusters bunches Kellog Quaker Newman Mills Kashi Ralston Nestle… Who ate all these things?! How was it possible to have so many combinations? How was it possible to choose from such a variety? At that time in Bulgaria, we had a total of maybe three companies producing breakfast cereal: Nestle’s regular cornflakes, Bulgarian cornflakes, and muesli. We ate cereal with milk and sugar or muesli with yoghurt and honey. I think we were perfectly content with the choices we had.
Now, of course, we have giant malls and giant supermarkets like Americans do. This must be a sign that our standard of living is rising. We have a much larger assortment of Bulgarian and foreign breakfast cereal.
Yet even today, after I’ve been to Shaw’s and Whole Foods in Boston so many times, I still fail to understand why Americans need so many different types of cereal?!
***
You might also find interesting the rest of my Observations on the American Culture and Behavior, compared to those in my native Bulgaria:
Bureaucracy in America: Iron Policy of No Compromise
162 comments
Comments feed for this article
September 20, 2010 at 6:13 pm
The Zen Assassin
I think it’s the classic American mindset of living beyond their means. With that much of a selection can you even fathom how much gets wasted?
Cheers!
September 21, 2010 at 9:01 am
mandymcadoo
How do you figure more would get wasted? Everybody has their individual tastes and chooses the cereal they want, we don’t just all buy all the cereals and let them go bad. Should we all just be forced to eat weetabix? 😉
September 20, 2010 at 6:17 pm
The Simple Life of a Country Man's Wife
I never thought of this! And I have no idea why we do. Too much variety is a good thing?
September 20, 2010 at 6:18 pm
dennisfinocchiaro
We love our cereal, and having lots of choices? I know it’s odd…it’s the ONLY aisle that is all one thing, right?
September 20, 2010 at 6:20 pm
sylviangirl
The more choice supermarkets provide me with, the more my mind boggles and i just end up sticking to what i’ve always bought instead of venturing out into trying new things. You only need a handful of alternatives not 10 dozen!
http://sylviangirl.wordpress.com/
September 20, 2010 at 6:23 pm
highaspirations
I only read this article becase that is also what struck me when I went food shopping with my American cousin. It’s so odd, maybe its cheap to produce cereal especially as most of them on the shelf are artificial, unheathy crap!
September 20, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Sarah
Hi there. This is a cool post – interesting observations. I am an American living abroad in Central America and I go to the small market stores here that offer two type of corn flakes and maybe some granola. Each time I think to myself “where are the Cheerios? The Honey Bunchoes of Oats? The Fruit Loops??” My lack of choices here makes me kinda sad…
Oh well. I guess it’s a culture thing.
Keep writing!
http://www.SarahLaGringa.com
September 20, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Digital Dame
It’s the corn lobby, the corn industry. They push the stuff. They’re subsidized by government grants to grow the stuff.
May 24, 2012 at 11:05 pm
DenverMike
As far as I understand, this is true. Gov’t subsidies lead to an abundance of corn, so, since greater supply reduces prices, innovative types come up with other uses for it. Thus we have corn syrup, corn-fed beef, and all sorts of other interesting creations – most all of which are unnatural and unhealthy. We have some of the best marketing agencies in the world and some of the most eager (or naive) consumers.
September 20, 2010 at 6:30 pm
amandacrossley
Its all marketing. If you compared what they were you would find that there are three kinds of everything. But the kicker is when you compare what they are so much of it is just sugar covered crap, then they add a lot of vitamins to make it seem like its good for you. I personally am a Kashi girl, or Cascadian farms. I like to understand the words that I am reading on the side of my box.
Love the post, thanks for the perspective.
September 20, 2010 at 6:31 pm
gealach
I noticed something similar when I lived in France. There were so many different types of yohurt! In Sweden we didn’t even have half that many (and we still don’t). 🙂
September 20, 2010 at 6:34 pm
madtante
My guess is it’s business. Almost everything comes down to money…
Firstly, sometime in the 50s, the Geniuses on Wall Street figured out that marketing towards the Baby Boomers (then kids and the largest demographic of Americans) meant the biggest bang for their marketing bucks. It worked. Baby Boomers are still shaping our choices-offered, including better care for elders now that they’re…aging.
My next thought is government-supported industry. Corn-based cereals alone get HUGE breaks and incentives from the factory farms to producers. Even for non-corn based products, they’re usually sweetened with corn syrup “solids” and other ingredients that are cheaper to grow, produce and “make up” the processed food. What you get is candy (yum!) that is super-cheap to make yet people can’t get enough, so you can charge far more than the worth of the actual foodstuff. Ch-ching.
September 20, 2010 at 6:34 pm
NotAScientist
The only proper response I can give is “why not?”
We have that many because enough people by each individual one to make it worthwhile for the company to produce them. Simple as that. 🙂
September 20, 2010 at 6:36 pm
jenkline75
You are soooo right on this one. The worst part of it all is that the majority of the cereals are made up of processed ingredients topped with loads and loads of sugar…YUCK! Thanks for th post and congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
September 20, 2010 at 6:37 pm
mkyannon
I think that is why we Americans are so fat! It is a battle I am fighting right now…see my blog: hcgdietprogress. Companies have decided that there should be something for everyone, so if your kid does not like chocolate coco puffs, maybe we can feed them multi food-colored, multi fake-fruity cereal. Of all the cereals they offer, only about 2-5% of them are actually good for you and should be eaten for breakfast. I will be very careful when I have children to try to steer away from this aisle in the supermarket.
September 20, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Vidya
Yes, natural diet is always the best. It is right that cereals are good but natural diets are even better. However Muesli with yoghurt and honey is balance of both.
September 20, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Abby
Yeah, totally! Why so many choices? And I agree with you on your breakfast of choice – much better than all the sugary artificial stuff 🙂
September 20, 2010 at 6:44 pm
George Secko, aka Dzedko
They don’t really need them. Check out my recent blog … my research found only two are healthy! Even those two are questionable if you look at Glycemic Index and sugar substitutest. The only boxed cereal that makes a little sense to me is All Bran because of some recipes. My blog is at:
http://www.dzedko.wordpress.com
It’s all about marketing capitalizing on our rush to get out the door in the morning. All that sugar is addictive, which is a great disservice to children. children.and con
September 20, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Jana
when i first came over here 7 years ago, i was asking myself the same question. not only about cereals. i watch very carefully what i am eating and i soon found out that half of all things in the grocery aisles you can’t or shouldn’t buy. They taste horrible and aren’t healthy after all. so with all them supermarkets with aisles full of so many different kinds of food i still have to go to the health- or whole food store or just have my family from germany send me once in a while a “care-package” with healthy items, and of course, with chocolate, because i don’t like the chocolate here either, even hersheys, tastes like soap . . .
September 20, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Evie Garone
They don’t!! You got it right, if you keep the masses busy with little decisions like what cereal which now takes 30 min. because of so much choice, they are too busy to notice the Politicians are robbing them blind!! Welcome to America!!
evelyngarone.com
September 20, 2010 at 6:55 pm
She.Is.Just.A.Rat
Agreed. An entire length of an aisle dedicated to cereal is overkill. I understand choice and options, but enough already! I’d prefer an entire store filled with the freshest of the fresh produce…
September 20, 2010 at 6:56 pm
bradenbost
. . . yet the endless varieties really aren’t much of a variety; soooo many of them are really just the same thing over and over. There are more than a few of us Americans that have (for a long time, now) understood that our quantity comes at the sacrifice of quality. And all those cereals are WAAAY over-priced, too! I thought we had it bad in Washington state, with 13 oz. boxes costing over $5 sometimes, but I was recently in Hawaii and saw them for around $8. You can keep your Honey Bunches of Oats, than you very much. Great post!
http://bradenbost.wordpress.com
September 20, 2010 at 6:57 pm
joshsuds
Interesting post. I think there are so many cereals in the supermarkets here because Americans tend to get tired of having the same thing over and over and because marketing companies here are amazing! Many of us have taste ADD and believe the commercials that tell us the cereal they’re selling is the next best thing to winning a million dollars. I, for one, have gotten tired of a cereal before finishing the box and then bought a different type intending to finish the first one later. Of course, I didn’t finish either of them.
https://joshsuds.wordpress.com
September 20, 2010 at 7:11 pm
oscarbelmont
I visited California several times but I didn’t notice it. In the UK maybe not so many but still there are considerable amount of cereals. It could be all about different cultures. While Anglo-American culture is probably dominating cereals, Bulgaria is the most famous for yogurt. How many types of yogurts are there in Bulgaria? How many types of pasta do you think Italy has? How many types of potatoes and beers do you think Germany has? How many types of fishes do you think you can find in a fishmonger in Japan? How many types of wines and Champagne do you think France has?
September 20, 2010 at 7:24 pm
rheatan
I TOTALLY AGREE – the supermarkets made the greatest impression for every trip I’ve made to the US! My family spent 23 days in the States last year, and we made at least 20 trips to the supermarket and were sure to get apartments all the way through so that we could cook instead of eating out every day. My favourite aisle was the one with goldfish crackers – I’d never seen such a variety in my entire life! I have about three different types of goldfish crackers available in my country, so I really went crazy in the US : )
Thanks for this great post!
September 20, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Club Dine In!
“Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of your milk.”- Micheal Pollan
September 20, 2010 at 7:28 pm
HavingMeTime
Haha so true!!!
September 20, 2010 at 7:30 pm
saif dewan
very light and refershing article!
In Pakistan (though developing country)you can find a variety of good cereals from Kellogg’s , General Mills, Nestle and Post including one local brand Fauji . Habbit of regular eating of cereals is mostly cofined to elite class and upper class/upper middle class.
regards
saif dewan
+92301 8232221
September 20, 2010 at 7:31 pm
sayitinasong
LOL!! probably because it is a very competitive market and all the brands will have to try to out-do each other on getting the bigger share of the marketplace…
September 20, 2010 at 7:33 pm
spiralmewtrix
We don’t. The companies just need more ways to get our money. Most of that stuff isn’t even good for us, and uses BHT as a preservative.
September 20, 2010 at 7:34 pm
TLH
I guess we feel like we really want a huge variety to choose from. We don’t want to be limited. We have several different brands of white bread. Several different brands of coffee. I guess it is a prosperity thing.
http://tangotangoromeo.wordpress.com/
September 20, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Anna and Her Biro
This is so true! It’s even like that in the UK now. But to take it further – it’s not just cereal, almost anything you want to buy has hundreds of options attached. Never a simple tube of toothpaste. You choose either – whitening, peppermint, spearming, strawberry, sensitive…. the aisles are so vast shopping can be so overwhelming. Long gone are the days of little independent shops with keepers who know the name of each customer. It’s a shame in a way.
Thanks for your blog.
http://meandmybiro.wordpress.com
September 20, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Rivki @ Life in the Married Lane
I have thought this SO many times! I still have not come up with an answer. After spending a year in Israel, where there are considerably fewer choices, I remember being struck by the sheer number of choices here in America. It’s mind boggling.
Congrats on being FP!
September 20, 2010 at 7:42 pm
jewelofmisanthropy
The short answer is – we don’t!
September 20, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Summer
thats so true!! I dn’t think they need all that!
love.
summer.
September 20, 2010 at 7:51 pm
roundrockgarden
Call it the American illusion of abundance and freedom of choice! I once read a similar article from someone from Russia regarding our pain reliever aisle. We have hundreds of SKU’s of pain relievers – tablets, capsules, caplets, etc. … how many do we actually need? The answer is only a few! But I gotsta have my option to buy the frosted sugar bombs for breakfast – because THAT’s important! LOL!
September 20, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Señora López
Malcolm Gladwell talks a lot about this type of thing. (Why Americans have such an abundance of choice — and actually how it makes us LESS happy.)
I think you’ll find it interesting. Check it out:
September 20, 2010 at 7:52 pm
healthkik
A great post. We have so many here in the UK, but we’re so strict on additives and sugar levels that we lack the more fun choices available in the States!
I visit occasionally for holidays, and walking down the cereal aisle looking at the sugary snacks is always a joy!
*snaps out of sugar-freak mode*
September 20, 2010 at 7:53 pm
addidesu
They say that when choices increase, overall satisfaction with the final decision decreases. With so many options, we spend longer deciding, and feel more regretful after.
Granted, that’s a little heavy for something like cereal, but it’s totally true! I can’t tell you how many times I want to try a new box, but then don’t like it as much as I thought I would, and bitterly eating each spoonful wishing I had just stuck with the one I already knew I liked!
September 20, 2010 at 7:56 pm
inkgwen
Sometimes you’re in a Corn Pops mood, sometimes you need a good bowl of Raisin Bran, sometimes you simply crave that good old bowl of Corn Flakes with slices of banana in it.
Variety, my friend, is the spice of life! 🙂
September 20, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Esco
It is not just cereals, even water has different types – sparkling, vitamin, mineral, etc
Who would have ever thought that choosing what cereal to buy would become a major decision like buying a car or choosing a college.
Well, better more than less!
http://www.woahnigeria.wordpress.com
September 20, 2010 at 8:04 pm
lifeintheboomerlane
Yea Penn State! There was no supermarket there back in the day when I was a student. But, anyway, the choices we have about anything becomes more and more mind-boggling and confusing. And I am always reminded of the department store my ex and I went to in what was then Communist Yugoslavia back in 1970: one set of dishes, one sleeping bag, one of everything. Even one dress for women, in a couple different sizes and patterns.
September 20, 2010 at 8:07 pm
The Gates of Lodore
Beats me. I wonder the same thing. The only “cereal” I ever eat is hot oatmeal – all the cold box cereals give me a massive stomach ache. Personally, I think the cereal trend started because it is fast and lazy breakfast for people who hit snooze alarms and rush off to work or school at the last minute. It gets fed to children, and they grow up to eat it daily by default. The reason for the variety is probably a combination of marketing and capitalistic competition (notice how expensive the name-brands are). I can’t say consumers want the variety – because I know many people who eat the same brand every day for decades.
September 20, 2010 at 8:09 pm
midangmovement
you think there was a lot back then? Now we have generic brands of the same type of cereals on the same aisle! =P
September 20, 2010 at 8:13 pm
RitaElizabeth
I know what you mean! Living in the State all my life, I took this for granted. But then my husband went on a work assignment in the U.K., where we lived for two years. Even in England, where living standards are, of course, high, we had many, many fewer brands of cereal.
At first, the cereal shelves at my local Sainsbury’s or Tesco seemed rather sparse, but very soon I didn’t miss all those American cereals at all.
I remember going to our supermarket in California the day we moved from England back to the U.S. When I reached the cereal aisle, I stopped my shopping cart in its tracks.
So many cereals. So many colors in the packaging. So many sweetened flakes and crunches and pops. The room spun. Dizziness took hold and my head ached and throbbed. The shelves seemed to close in.
After two years strolling the calming supermarket aisles of England, I felt alien in my own country. A friend pulled me out of that supermarket and thus we avoided a nervous breakdown.
I’ve been back here in California for some years now, re-accustomed to the cereal onslaught. But I’ll tell you right now that with every trip to the cereal shelves, my eyes still swim as I struggle to find my favorite brand.
THANK YOU FOR SUCH AN ENJOYABLE POST. Now I know I’m not crazy!
September 20, 2010 at 8:14 pm
RitaElizabeth
Sorry, meant to say “living in the States” (not State.) I didn’t check my typing very well.
September 20, 2010 at 8:22 pm
dweebcentric
i love your post. i thought it was just me – that we have what some might say is too much choice! which only makes making a decision that much more overwhelming if we care to weigh all the options. and i’m an american!
September 20, 2010 at 8:26 pm
gvn2fly
Maybe to have the same variety as the milk aisle, have you seen that? It’s also amazing the quantity of milk brands and types over there!!
September 20, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Mina
I know what you mean – even though I haven’t been to the US, in my local supermarket there’s one long aisle for cereal. The only aisle as long as that is the one with alcohol!! Hmm….
Enjoyed your post!
September 20, 2010 at 8:37 pm
hearttypat
well, even an old episode of Talkshow with Spike Feresten featured a fake Advertisement for “Poolios”, the breakfast cereal you eat in the pool. So why are Americans fascinated with their cereals again?
September 20, 2010 at 8:43 pm
osarah
I understand. I’m American but have been living in Germany for 3 years. The selection of everything (in American grocery stores), including cereal, blows my mind.
September 20, 2010 at 8:45 pm
angiegregory
Americans have a mentality that more is better. They also find value in the choice of many selections. Instead of worrying about quality, they focus on quantity.
Great blog!
September 20, 2010 at 8:48 pm
fallenidentity
That’s a really interesting thought! I suppose growing up in the states, I never really thought about it before. Cereal is one of my favorite snacks, and having options from sugary, unhealthy cereal to the healthiest bran is a delight for me; I can choose healthy for my morning meal, and sugary as a dessert snack. Also, a great thing about having so many options, is the variety of prices – when you’re running low on cash for the week, it’s great to know you can pick up a cheap box of cereal that is delicious and filling. 😀
September 20, 2010 at 8:49 pm
MercXue
Unlike the rest of the world – we like choice. I have friends from many places and for some reason they all share the same underlying theme about America and Americans, “You have too many choices.” It’s not that we have too many choices, it’s that we live in a society that fosters independence, creativity and FREEDOM. Many of us may defer choosing leadership (i.e. vote) but nevertheless at the grocery store will defend choosing between fruity pebbles and co-co puffs with our dying breathe. That is why we need so many types of cereal. Merc Xue
September 20, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Dee
americans love variety :o)
September 20, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Lindsay
I’m an American who now lives in Canada and I am HORRIFIED every time I go to the grocery stores in the states now. I can’t believe the variety in cereal! It’s just NOT necessary.
Btw – I grew up 45 minutes away from State College, Pennsylvania in a tiny town called Clearfield. It was nice to see it mentioned here!
– Lindsay
http://www.connective-healing.com
September 20, 2010 at 9:31 pm
travelingmad
🙂 Americans do not need this many cereals. We have them because we are greedy and love excess.
I recently moved to France and wondered, why did they have so little choices with cereal! But I was happy to find Cookie Crisp and Golden Grahams!
Yum, a little taste of home.
September 20, 2010 at 9:34 pm
sergeipodosenov
and why is all the food supplied by few chosen companies. Post & General Mills?
September 20, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Wilhelm2451
“I still fail to understand why Americans need so many different types of cereal?! ”
“Need” has nothing to do with it. Variety of choice is one of the key elements of a free market.
Having worked in a super market back in college I can tell you that breakfast cereals are very profitable (look how much they charge per box) and sell very well. A Saturday morning would wipe out the whole cereal aisle at my store. We would have to restock it twice over the course of the day.
When you go to a US supermarket, you will notice that, that despite all the variety, most boxes on the cereal aisle are from one of three big companies, just like Bulgaria.
But here, these three companies are fighting over market share, and the profits that go with it, and they have decided to do so by offering as many possible selections as one can imagine and still fit on the store shelves. They do not compete on price, that eats into profits. Only the lesser and store brands do that.
September 20, 2010 at 9:40 pm
capnstephel
Haha, I wish I had an answer for you. I think you could probably ask the same question regarding a lot of things here (restaurants, clothes, furniture…)
September 20, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Allen Keyes
“I still fail to understand why Americans need so many different types of cereal?!”
Perhaps you can say “I still fail to understand why Bulgarians fail to see the need for freedom of choice.”
September 20, 2010 at 9:49 pm
elenasc
Have you ever seen how many types of pasta we have in Italy???? lol
September 20, 2010 at 10:01 pm
eelvelin
I know, it’s so crazy! The same thing struck me too the 1st time I was at Walmart. All this wonderful, colorful cereal! Haha. Cinnamon toast crunch or Raisin Bran is my fav.
I find the chip-aisle to be quite mindblowing, too.
September 20, 2010 at 10:02 pm
dory811
It’s not a need. We just happen to have them. Most are pretty delicious, I’m a big cereal fanatic – I grew up on the cereal aisle.
🙂
September 20, 2010 at 10:09 pm
notesfromrumbleycottage
That is a good question. Perhaps we need our sugar balanced with good-for-you cereals to feel as if we are not complete nutritional idiots. Sadly, coco puffs are still my all-time favorite. Congrats on getting freshly pressed.
September 20, 2010 at 10:12 pm
tkachuk123
That’s crazy i never thought about it before but yea, Us americans can walk into a store buy a different type of cereal every month and still love what we bought
September 20, 2010 at 10:14 pm
saratoday
And is cereal so expensive? So much packaging for so little food.
September 20, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Saidah Ali
Americans are just the ultimate consumers; we don’t NEED anything. Most Americans eat the same three or four cereals at most (usually one or two) We just like paying for the option of being able pick something else if we want. In short, we like swimming in our excess.
September 20, 2010 at 10:20 pm
evilcyber
I wondered the same thing; seeing the cereal aisle at US supermarkets makes the mind boggle.
And it’s not like this amount of choice actually helps the customer, because you’ll stand there for half an hour, trying to decide what you should buy.
September 20, 2010 at 10:34 pm
lbwong
Nice post! I always find it iteresting when different cultures have variances in the way things are done such as your example of breakfast cereal. I believe since consumers have such a wide variety of tastes and likes, major American cereal makers attempt to capture the majority of the markets. Americans also seem to have a love for quick and easy foods, which makes cereal a favorite in the morning. Congrats on Freshly Pressed! LB
September 20, 2010 at 10:35 pm
santasown
What’s everyone favorite cereal anyway? I’ve always like Honey Bunches of Oats with real peaches….
Any maybe there are so many cereals because we are just soo indecisive? And we like variety! haha 🙂
September 20, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Lydia Estrella
I just think that is much better have many choices!
September 20, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Esri Allbritten
Americans don’t need that many types of cereal. We don’t *need* any cereal. But cereal companies need to sell cereal to stay in business, so they keep coming up with new stuff and marketing it to children, who push their parents to buy it.
Money, Zikata. It’s always about money.
September 20, 2010 at 11:00 pm
rootietoot
Even with fourty-eleven different types of cereals to pick from, I always seem to go for the same 3 basics: cornflakes, muesli and almond granola. Thanks for writing, I love to hear the impressions from people who haven’t grown up where I did.
September 20, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Ian
Chalk it up to a “free market” society.
The better question, I feel, would be:
If there is enough interest in so many varieties to support them all, why not have so many?
Plus, Bulgaria is tipping the scales these days at what, 7.5’ish million people while the US is over 300 m, with I believe a much wider demographic breakdown. Different people like different things, and the US has more, different people.
September 20, 2010 at 11:19 pm
SynLar
I have thought about the very same thing! When I lived in the states last school year, I too was amazed at the long and well-assorted cereal aisle, and I could not figure out why the Americans would need that many kinds and brands… Most people in the states don’t even eat cereal for breakfast, they would rather cook something it seems.
September 20, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Cassidhe Hart
I’m an American living in Ukraine, and I one of the things I miss the most is breakfast cereal.
You’ve made an apt observation of a strange national addiction!
September 20, 2010 at 11:41 pm
pursehappygal
Even though Canadians are just above the border, we don’t even get that many!
There are some brands that aren’t available here that are only available to our American brethren. Some brands are discontinued.
So we grab them and take as many boxes home as we can!
September 20, 2010 at 11:45 pm
educlaytion
It’s true, we seem crazy for choices. The American grocery store is really a myth though. Just a lot of different packaging for the same few ingredients distributed by a handful of mother companies. Nice post.
September 20, 2010 at 11:55 pm
milk&bread
I always wonder the same thing when i go to the supermarket. I don’t live in America, i’m Australian, but we also have a very large range of sugary breakfast. Mostly i just buy weetbix and oats but i admit that sometimes the pretty boxes get the better of me and i do enjoy a bowl of cocoa pops every now and then.
September 21, 2010 at 12:12 am
RinAh
I wonder why they have so many kinds of soda and peanut butter too ^^
September 21, 2010 at 12:27 am
gospelx
We don’t need that many cereals, not in the least. Most of them aren’t even healthy for us, and the worst ones in particular tend to be marketed toward children. I wish I could give a simple answer as for why this is the case. In part, it is indulgence. We like sweet tasting things, and children make sales of sweet tasting things easy because parents over here indulge their children. Then there’s also the capitalism game. For every new flavor of cereal a brand puts out, expect at least one variation from every competitor.
September 21, 2010 at 12:31 am
p_ernille_
Hi, ¨
That is so true and well writen! I’m from Denmark, and also remember my first time in an american supermarket. I was very overwelmed!
It’s crazy and had only been with the cereal, but it’s with every thing. There’s so many brands of everything.
September 21, 2010 at 12:32 am
C. Hagen
You’ve hit on a question that plagues me weekly about cereal and the majority of contemporary American products. I believe the “nearly-new” product explosion of 2000-2010 is due to the expansive middle-bulge of mediocrity. Too many middle-managers are confronted with the ongoing challenge of remaining relevant and employed. So, they become the stewards of change always heralding a nearly, new idea; always building on a well received product avoids failure and is a backhanded compliment to the ego-driven executive who promoted the successful beta. It’s a win-win for mediocrity and confusing for the rest of us.
September 21, 2010 at 12:33 am
polisheddreamer
A lot of it is marketed to kids. I find that most people have a small range of what they actually buy compared to the selection.
September 21, 2010 at 12:39 am
Mitch Leuraner
I think you are confused…. there isn’t actually that many types of cereal – most of them are exactly the same. There just happens to be a lot of copies. Companies do this because they are afraid that some children will prefer a red box, rather than a blue box.
It really is that simple.
September 21, 2010 at 12:46 am
minilaptop410
I can eat cereal for almost every meal of the day, I love the variety, I guess it’s just an American addiction. Long live Cinnamon toast crunch.
http://minilaptop410.wordpress.com/
September 21, 2010 at 1:01 am
nityamizh
I think the reason might be the need of ‘quick-breakfast’ by those who have a regular job.It is the only breakfast-food that needs no cooking as such, is comparatively and apparently salubrius, and is easy to munch on. Coming to the concept of having so many types of cereals in the stores, I don’t think anyone can eat the same kind of tasteless husk-like cereal everyday for years, so various producers launch the same cereal coated with different flavours, contributed with fruits and nuts, trying to make it tastier than the fodder-like usual thing. Since the Americans easily go for this food that doesn’t require any hardwork on their part, they buy it according to their taste for their comfort.
September 21, 2010 at 1:13 am
Renée A. Schuls-Jacobson
It’s also an easy way to get kids to feed themselves. They can pour milk? Make yourself a bowl of cereal. Who cares how much fat or sugar is in there: They don’t have to bother a parent! They are being independent. (I’m being sarcastic!) It’s ridiculous. Capitalism at its worst. So many choices, you start to believe it actually might be good for you.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed! This is a great blog!
Come visit me!
http://rasjacobson.wordpress.com
September 21, 2010 at 1:14 am
asifhuq
“Why Do Americans Have So Many Types of Breakfast Cereal?”
Great post. Hmmm….
Of course in Europe we have aisles of cheap alcohol than cereals. It’s more like two distinctive haritage. 🙂
September 21, 2010 at 1:40 am
roniweiss
Thoroughly confused as to the confusion.
People like options. Americans eat breakfast more than a lot of other cultures. The math works.
September 21, 2010 at 1:41 am
zikata
Thank you for the great discussion everyone! It’s evident that our breakfast food is very dear to all of us!
Some of you suggest that US firms directly target specific consumers’ tastes, and this is what creates the abundance of brands and varieties on the cereal aisle. Maybe the breakfast market is mature and companies are desperately coming up with newer and newer products hoping to satisfy every niche in consumer demand.
Some of you argue that the buyers’ desire to see variety and have many options is ingrained in the American culture. In reality, maybe all this variety is deceitful, and it is all just packaging and ads.
As far as I’m concerned, my favorite is good old muesli. I have it with yoghurt and fresh fruit every day!
Please take a look at the rest of my blog!
Thank you!
September 21, 2010 at 2:01 am
megidio
Great post! We have at least 10 boxes of cereal in our cupboard at any given time, and eat all of them (I just counted 16). We don’t need them, we just like variety. Many nights I eat a bowl before I go to bed.
That being said, I have a friend who eats specific cereals on specific days of the week, and never varies! The boxes have to be in a certain spot on the shelf. I asked him, “What would happen if you wanted to eat your Friday cereal on a Tuesday?” He said, “That would NEVER happen!” (I know, a bit obsessive)
What about all the varieties of ice cream?
Congrats on making Freshly Pressed!
September 21, 2010 at 2:31 am
michaeleriksson
Many issues are easy to understand if the right perspective is used and the right questions are asked. These are the wrong questions:
“Why Do Americans Have So Many Types of Breakfast Cereal?”
“[…]why Americans need so many different types of cereal?!”
A better question would be “Why are there so many variations produced [respectivly, displayed in stores]?”. The simple answer: Because the companies involved feel that they make money that way, including by reaching a greater price segmentation, by catering to as many niches as possible, and by having products placed to counter those from other companies. Possibly, the buyers are fools for buying, but that it as another topic.
September 21, 2010 at 2:32 am
Cara
It’s not just cereal, it’s everything! I live in the US, and I’m still astonished whenever I try to buy toothpaste. But I’m also part of the problem: I want my baking soda toothpaste _with_ peroxide _and_ tartar control and _without_ bleach. That’s pretty darn specific. Spaghetti sauce is another obvious example: there used to be only a few varieties, now there are dozens. Smooth, chunky, salty, sweet, garlic, onions, meat, mushrooms… each combination is somebody’s favorite. Marketers found that making one variety that was fine for everybody got them less loyalty and sales than making a lot of specific varieties, each of which is exactly what a few people want. That’s why our stores are so huge: to have room to stock all these products with their slight variations. It seems ridiculous, but apparently it makes money.
September 21, 2010 at 3:13 am
ryoko861
With all the choices you choose muesli???? No Cocoa Pebbles? Honey Combs? CAPTAIN CRUNCH!! You don’t know what you’re missing!!!! Live it up! GO FOR BROKE!
The cereal market is a HUGE industry! I will admit there’s more than we need. But it’s very competitive! Which is better; Cocoa Krispies or Cocoa Pebbles? They’re both the same and if you add in the store brand, that’s three of the same cereals!
It boggles the mind!!
September 21, 2010 at 3:26 am
sunsetfromabove
I suppose cereal comes in different content levels of fiber, and it works well to categorise them! just like in Big Bang Theory!
September 21, 2010 at 3:37 am
The Perfectly Imperfect One
Americans enjoy having the choice, and the variety. We want things our way, and we want what we want, and won’t have it any other way. Cereal is a huge thing here, even more so now because we want our American children have a nice breakfast, and American children are spoiled. I know in some families here, each child has their own box of cereal because one won’t eat what the other will. It’s insane.
Nice post, and congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
September 21, 2010 at 3:59 am
kldarter
Forget about the cereal – the real question is why is there an entire aisle devoted to dog and cat food!?
September 21, 2010 at 4:46 am
zikata
Hahah pray that no dog or cat lover sees this post! 🙂
September 21, 2010 at 4:20 am
pbandchutney
God you are SO RIGHT! I am always lost in that damn aisle and my husband and I NEVER get the same cereal twice because of all the damn options. I’d be happy with the 3 choices you provided. The KISS mentality! Keep it simple stupid!!
Great post!
September 21, 2010 at 4:22 am
mathisworks
In the US, we only have a few kinds of cereal too. We just have lots and lots of different cereal box designs. Media and advertising are king, so it doesn’t matter what they put in the box. Only what they put ON the box.
September 21, 2010 at 4:27 am
Kat Richter
I don’t know… I was born and raised in the US but have spent several years in Europe and I would say that the chocolate aisle of you average Belgian supermarket can give the American cereal aisle a run for it’s money! And yes, being somewhat of a chocoholic, I took over a dozen photographs of the chocolate aisle when I went to Brussels this past summer: http://katrichterwrites.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/of-beer-and-chocolate/
Congrats on getting Freshly Pressed!
September 21, 2010 at 4:31 am
karenlac
And most of that cereal is crap! My Dutch hubby was completely lost in the supermarket when he first got here. It took him forever to choose anything because of all the different variations.
We don’t touch the majority of that stuff. It’s all loaded with sugar.
September 21, 2010 at 4:40 am
www.supergluemom.com
Thanks for sharing! I’ve been in the United States for over 16yrs and yet every time I go back to Spain I am shocked to see how ‘few’ cereals they have! The truth is that here most of the cereals are sugar filled and totally not filled with goodness! Muesli + yogurt and fruit= best morning ever! you are right!
September 21, 2010 at 4:40 am
bornagainbrazilian
I recently moved from New York City to Sao Paulo, Brazil. The other day I went to a grocery store, one that is part of a larger chain here in the city, to see if I could buy my daughter a box of Cheerios, well, something similar to Cheerios. (I didn’t really expect to get Cheerios.) The store didn’t stock a single box of cereal. Nothing. The closest thing they had was a small box of envelopes that contained an oatmeal type product. So interesting that something so popular and common in the US is not easy to get in South America’s biggest city (I’m sure I can find it somewhere… if I really wanted to. But I’d probably pay $30 for it.) I knew we took a lot for granted in the US, but I hadn’t considered that breakfast cereal would be on the list.
September 21, 2010 at 4:52 am
wry2010
what’s more ridiculous, the cereal aisle or the potato chip aisle?
September 21, 2010 at 4:55 am
Dara
That muesli looks and sounds yummy! I would try it.
We certainly do have a ton of options to choose from. I really don’t think Americans comprehend how good we have it.
September 21, 2010 at 4:59 am
Matilda
What a big fuss over nothing. If someone does not want to buy something in the store, they don’t have buy it. If people did not want it, the stores would quickly find it was not worth carrying on their shelves.
September 21, 2010 at 5:13 am
Elgart
That’s one thing a like about American diet
September 21, 2010 at 5:20 am
empcc
i highly agree with matilda
September 21, 2010 at 5:25 am
empcc
but i beleive the reason there so many cereals is because people ike diffrent things and some people when they have an idea they make all they can to accomplish it
September 21, 2010 at 5:32 am
katley
I think all this variety is overwhelming.
Sometimes for breakfast I eat a yogurt and a banana instead of cereal. Most cereals are unhealthy anyway. Too much sugar and artificial ingredients.
September 21, 2010 at 5:35 am
fireparadisefoodandlife
Americans like convenience and are choices but even though they are different cereals most of them are corn based because that is what America has become a nation of corn eaters. Monocropping. These cereals are very cheap to make but have huge mark ups only the cereal companies win
September 21, 2010 at 5:49 am
Marie
In Singapore these days we have sooo many more options then we had 20 years ago. It’s still mind boggling when I visit the States or Australia, I admit I love the choices available but I’m happy with the ‘oh 25 or so choices we have right now’.
September 21, 2010 at 5:56 am
saraflower
I`m a cereal girl. I`m a Canadian and I love having a wide selection of cereal for the most important meal of the day. 🙂
September 21, 2010 at 6:04 am
Mauri - orangesandcarrots.com
Who do you think funds America’s corn industry? Check that one out *) No cereal in my house – I like one of the posts – Muesli + yogurt and fruit= best morning ever! AGREE
September 21, 2010 at 6:05 am
kristy.calderon@yahoo.com
I have to say, I was born and raised in the United States, and even for me the options in American supermarkets are overwhelming. It’s so hard to choose, that I sometimes walk away with nothing!
September 21, 2010 at 6:16 am
amandasperspective
I have to say, while I understand that the choice might sometimes be overwhelming, it is not to be taken for granted! I am living in a 3rd world country currently where breakfast cereal is so notably limited and I find myself wishing, EVERY DAY, for the same selection as at home. I think when I move back to the states, I may very well eat nothing BUT cereal for a few weeks. Rice Krispies, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Honey Bunches of Oats, Cheerios, Special K, Pops – my mouth waters just thinking about it!
September 21, 2010 at 8:29 am
Chelsea
I mean, the real reason why we have so many kinds of cereal is that back in the 50s??? or so, whenever cereal started, companies’ reason for inventing it was to find a way to add value to grains (i.e. make more money off of consumers). So, the way that companies make even more money off of people now is by introducing new flavors and varieties so that you’ll keep trying and keep buying. I used to loooove cereal, then I heard about this. At first, I didn’t think too much of it… but then I think I just overdid my cereal intake in college and got sick of it. Now I discovered that I can buy plain oats and mix them in my yogurt with a bit of cinnamon and some dried fruit and it tastes really good without all those random additives and extra vitamins… Or you can make your own granola easily, too. $5+ per cereal box??? haha nooo thank you! And in Tanzania, it costs like $10 a box!!!
September 21, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Nicole
Although I´m Canadian, we also have lots of choices for cereal. I think one reason is that since America and Canada are capitalist societies, you have cereal companies competing to get customers.
For example, you have several types of cereal for kids with all the sugary flavours, colours and cartoony charaters like “Fruit Loops and Captin Crunch”. You have the “healthy” cereals for adults which boast on its high fibre content and low sugar like museli and bran-based cereals. There are cereals for “dieters” like Special K. I can´t verify it as fact, but I´m sure there are cereals people with allergies to nuts and gluten etc.
Not to mention the variety of cereal bars or breakfast bars.
Living in Europe now, I can see how artifical much of the food is in Canada and America (like the fruits and veggies). FYI, real “organic fruit” goes bad in 2-3 days and by the end of day 3 its barely eatable. I question how organic the food really is in the Canadian and American supermarkets when it has a shelf-life twice to three times as long as food products in Europe?
September 21, 2010 at 6:22 am
3:365 – The Setting « Am I There Yet?
[…] Today’s reading: Why Do Americans Have So Many Types of Breakfast Cereal? :: Zikata […]
September 21, 2010 at 6:29 am
silivalilife
Even Trader Joe’s which deliberately carries less choices of the same type of product has a whole shelf of cereal and yes, potato chips too. But we may be not alone there, I think there are cereal/chips lovers in other countries too.
September 21, 2010 at 6:30 am
The Mike Johnson
As others have stated as well, TOO MUCH CHOICE CAUSES CONFUSION as I have posted as well:
September 21, 2010 at 8:04 am
suburbhomestead
Skillet Granola solves the problem of variety and frugality.
September 21, 2010 at 8:24 am
The Mental Secretary
Americans love their choices – even if it debilitates us to point where decisions can’t be made. I blame my culture for making me an indecisive person. But seriously: I could not survive without Count Chocula cereal.
September 21, 2010 at 8:39 am
nzik
Keen observations!
Very attractive Blog, succeded to inspire my interest to visit Bulgaria and try the tasty natural food and superb red wines!
I like your articles about Nestinary dancing on fire and the Seven Rila Lakes .
Good Luck!
September 21, 2010 at 8:43 am
Joshua
I live in Taiwan right now and have to say the breakfast cereal selection here is interestingly large, too – but only in wealthier cities like mine. Americans (um… “we”) are an odd group in the sense that we like it all so sweet in the first place… but I have to say that it’s one of my daily routines even here in Asia.
September 21, 2010 at 9:03 am
Joshua
…also, after skimming the other posts, I wonder if we forget about the fact that breakfast cereal IS an American invention in a lot of ways. Just like you’ll see the chocolate aisle in Belgium or the pasta aisle in Italy… here in Taiwan there’s a soy sauce aisle and some others you won’t find… you have this in America.
Wil Kellogg, Sylvester Graham, and some other figures who lived in the mid-1800s were part of a big health craze that swept the corn-rich nation. It was a big health craze back then… by the 1950’s I think you see what other people mention: the boom of advertising.
Some sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Keith_Kellogg and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_Graham (Thinking about this got me into thinking about my college senior thesis, which was about this time period in US history)
September 21, 2010 at 9:19 am
Tina
It’s always an experience to walk through a grocery store when I am in the US. It’s not only the cereal isle that is exaggerated, EVERY isle and every type of food has an unimaginable amount of choices. Could that play a roll in the overconsumtion of food in the United States? Maybe too many choices make you buy MORE food because choosing just one flavor/brand/type is too hard and time consuming.
September 21, 2010 at 9:43 am
Overwhelmed « Trevor’s Journey
[…] https://zikata.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/why-do-americans-have-so-many-types-of-breakfast-cereal/ […]
September 21, 2010 at 10:48 am
sharpasatack13
Why, because cereal is so fantastic!! Cereal can be eaten for any meal, and makes a terrific snack in the wee hours of the morning. (like now…when my tummy is growling!) There are many different types for everyone’s different tastes. Why are there so many different types of candy? Same thing. The real question is, why are there so many bread choices? This is just downright complicated. White or wheat. That’s it. A whole isle of this nonsense is enough to make me sprint to the cereal isle for comfort. 🙂
September 21, 2010 at 11:33 am
RealRecessionista
Ah yes, I remember visiting London (ironically) and feeling grave disappointment at the lack of choice in the tooth whitening aisle … or the so few toilet paper choices at the grocery market. Naturally is that moment that I realised how much we Americans actually have.
September 21, 2010 at 11:36 am
Tatyana
When I came to America (from Belarus) 13 years ago I was only a young girl however I remember seeing the difference in American stores and stores in Belarus. A lot more choices in America!!! I remember always wanting to go to Safeway becuase for me it was soo fun as a kind to see all the things sold in America.
September 21, 2010 at 11:38 am
e6n1
Not really exactly why there are so many cereals but ‘More becomes Less’ when consumers are faced with too many choices.
September 21, 2010 at 11:38 am
e6n1
Not really exactly sure why there are so many cereals but ‘More becomes Less’ when consumers are faced with too many choices.
September 21, 2010 at 11:54 am
memphistours
Yeah… Why so many choices?!! but at the same time i find it interesting to have many choices in order not to get bored of having the same thing everyday …
September 21, 2010 at 11:54 am
Storm
What I think is funny is we have the initial choices, but then we repeat them in a cheaper version. Like, there are Frosted Flakes, but a couple of boxes down you will find, Frosty Flakes for about a dollar less. Or Rice Crispies become Crisped Rice? You get the point. We have the big, bright, colorful boxes for middle class and then white boxes with just the name and maybe a picture of the cereal on it for the working poor. So, this massive variety spans all classes of American society.
September 21, 2010 at 12:15 pm
LaboriousLiving
I would kill to find a box of Cookie Crisp in Sweden. We only have healthy cereal and 1 type of coco-somethings. BORING.
September 21, 2010 at 12:35 pm
vijay
Probably they aren’t able understand that its just cereal
September 21, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Betty@iwantthoseabs
I had my first taste of chocolate Lucky Charms when I holiday’d in the States in May. I’m glad we don’t have them here, they are way too tasty and would be another temptation for me and hinder my waistline!
September 21, 2010 at 1:04 pm
widi
Not only in US but in all of the world.
September 21, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Anna Renee
It’s not that Americans want all of this, but that we are trained to want it by those huge big business cereal manufacturers, who want our money.
It looks as though Americans are a bunch of greedy, self indulgent slobs, but it all has happened to us against our wills. We’ve been put to sleep by the huge Ad Marketing Corporations, and told what we should want, what we should spend our money on.
Thankfully, I still prefer cornflakes and oatmeal and cream of wheat.
That is all.
September 21, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Clark Bunch
There are 3 or 4 major companies producing cereal, and it’s all about competing for shelf space. If General Mills has 15 varieties, they get that many spaces on the shelf front, and have a higher probability of getting picked. Most candy purchases are impulse buys, that’s why 2 companies, MM Mars and Hersey, have 20 or 30 different products on display. Same with soft drinks (pop). Coca-Cola and Pepsi still make up the vast majority of sales, but they are always coming out with new flavors and products. If Coca-Cola had 20 different flavors and Pepsi only made one thing, they would have gone out of business by now.
September 21, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Timothy A. Hertz and Cornelius Claude
Most americans only have 2 -3 cereals that they buy regularly, but everybody likes something different. Supply and demand. Although I agree with you that it certainly is odd.
September 21, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Mitch
OK it’s good to have a choice of cereal but how do you know which milk to use with which cereal. The number of types is unbleveable for someone who is only used to chooseing between whole, semi-skimed, skimed and how much to buy.
Yes! you are right I’m not from the states. While on a visit I went to the supermarket to buy milk for coffee and was stopped in my tracks at the choice what was to be a couple of minute in and out turned into epic.
September 21, 2010 at 3:22 pm
ourpragueblog
I moved from America to Prague this year. I noticed the immediate shrinkage of cereal options, for sure. Why do Americans like to have so many choices? I don’t know. But I do know that I miss my Mother’s Brand organic, frosted, shredded mini-wheats. It’s the only acceptable cereal in the world. Variety breeds inflexibility?
September 21, 2010 at 3:24 pm
whitney marie
haha, my husband is from italy, and he asks me the same thing! his confusion on the cereal aisle reminds me of that scene in “moscow on the hudson” when robin williams has a nervous breakdown while trying to buy coffee
September 21, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Sunny
It is really amazing, yes? I have often wondered the same thing myself ( why are there soooo many cereals on the shelves )
My self, I don’t eat cereal for breakfast, but I do eat cereal plain with out milk, for a snack. I like to munch on Kellogs Corn Flakes 🙂
Congrats on being “Fresh Pressed!”
September 21, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Anne Marie Segal
What an interesting question. I totally agree. The number of options is out of control. On the other hand, when it comes to shopping for myself, I enjoy the fact that we can get our particular brand that we love the most, whether or not it is popular with others.
It’s not just cereal. The same thing happens with soda, shampoo, etc. This is just part of American culture now. Happily, most of our grocery store purchases are not of food or other items that come in boxes!
September 21, 2010 at 4:23 pm
On choice « Sparrowgrass
[…] post was triggered by a post by Zitaka about the staggering number of cereal choices available in America. My cereal of choice is […]
September 21, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Bakbakee
The thing is cereal is actually BAD. It contains high amounts of sodium. Cornflakes – very high sodium levele. Muesli’s good though minus the artificial sweetners. As for the rest, they’re sugar treats. Yeah, I know its quick breakfast and all, but still!
Nice post!
Congrats!
http://bakbakee.wordpress.com
September 21, 2010 at 5:48 pm
TLH
Nice sanctimony, by the way. “Oh, look at the poor Americans, how decadent and greedy they are for having all these brands of cereal. WE make do with museli and we LIKE IT THAT WAY!”
That’s really annoying.
September 21, 2010 at 6:05 pm
sarahnsh
You know why, it’s cause’ Americans love the idea of choice, so we like to have a ton of choices of a certain thing, and that’s especially with cereal. I think it’s because we have cereal for kids, adults, chocolate lovers, fruity cereal lovers, but I do agree that the cereal aisle is one of the biggest and I don’t know what to get when I’m there. I just stop and stare.
September 21, 2010 at 11:33 pm
boho fangirl
Too much options available can be very confusing, they might just end up scaring the consumers! I think it can be very overwhelming for some shoppers, especially foreigners who don’t have that MUCH cereal back home. 😉
September 22, 2010 at 4:32 am
Jansen
It helps to have cool characters to hawk the cereal – remember boo-berry?
http://www.bofads.com/stories/helpmascots.htm
September 22, 2010 at 3:00 pm
eurybe08
Come to think of it we do have a lot of cereal. I mean what’s the deal are we really that choosy?
September 22, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Ran
I can’t eat the same brand of cereal more than a couple times a day. If I don’t have variety I just won’t eat the stuff.
September 23, 2010 at 9:38 am
Phine
A wide assortment of cereals indeed! One thing, it might be because of the marketing competition. If one company produces a certain type or flavor of a cereal, it’s competitor will certainly produce it’s own as well. And it goes on and on as long as the Americans love to eat cereals.
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September 26, 2010 at 12:18 am
beinglizbreen
I was going to comment on how interesting your observations in this entry are, BUT, then I saw that you go to BU! I do too! Definitely following you. I’ll be excited to read more posts and learn more about Bulgaria. I honestly know very little about it.
http://toinherit.wordpress.com/
September 27, 2010 at 9:15 pm
brittanyborseth
Interesting! I love cereal!
June 16, 2012 at 10:23 am
Chakobsa
I grew up in the U.S. and moved to Turkey a year ago at the age of 32. I LOVE that there are fewer choices at the grocery store! And the relative lack of prepared/semi-prepared foods means that the pantry/fridge don’t get overstocked (so we end up throwing away very little food) AND it also means we eat healthier.