Genius? Or Madness?
In celebration of National Cereal Day (March 7), Post cereal decided to give everyone exactly what they have never been clamoring for: meat flavored breakfast cereal.
“Everyone” in this instance did not mean that every retailer could stock the cereal, however. The breakfast, er, brunch flavored cereals were available only in Wal-Mart. Two were produced: Chicken and Waffles flavor and Maple Bacon Donuts flavor. The boxes proclaim that the offerings are limited edition, suggesting that Post does not believe that meat cereals are likely to be the next big thing.
Because we love you, there was a taste test of both cereals performed in this household. The answer to the question of “Is this good or bad?” can thus be confidently confirmed as: yes.
It’s good or bad, and it’s hard to say which. The cereals are certainly strange. They were consumed without milk, because we don’t love you enough to eat a bowl full of this stuff. But the consensus was that the overall taste was too odd to categorize within the normal constraints of good or bad cereal. Certainly that’s an argument which, for many, would land it firmly in the “bad” category, but for those who remain curious:
Maple Bacon Donuts is the least successful of the pair as a raw snack. The maple flavor pairs fairly well with the touch of liquid smoke, but there’s very little “bacon” in the cereal. Bacon is a huge draw, and if one meat could remain delicious after being dunked in a bowl of milk, bacon is that meat.
Chicken and Waffles was a disturbing concept. Anyone who’s eaten Chicken In A Biskit crackers – and I have – will already have a notion of what chicken flavored grain products taste like. Specifically, a combination of butter and bouillon which rapidly progresses from salty to oppressive within a handful of bites, unless toppings like cheeses are available to offset the thick seasoning. Cereal, however, doesn’t have toppings.
Thankfully, the cereal lacked a dominant flavor of chicken, although the flavor was present. It was balanced nicely with the honey on the flakes and the extra sweetness from the “waffle” bits.
But it’s still Chicken and Waffles cereal. No getting around that.
My wife was challenged (not by me, I’m not this mean) to consume both simultaneously. Her report is that when both are mixed in equal parts, the flavor is that of burned walnut bread. Not burned enough to be charcoal, just overly toasted, stuck in the over five minutes too long.
On the other hand, both of these are vegetarian options… no actual meat was used in their production. So if someone with a problem with eating pork or chicken wants to sample them, they may.
Personally, I’ll stick with the old standards.
Question of the Night: What is your favorite brunch?
