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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

“Maple syrup, coffee, pancakes for two. Hashbrown, egg yolk, I will always love you.” – Harry Styles

This line from “Keep Driving” by Harry Styles is one that seems so simple, but it means so much to me. I love breakfast. Yes, of course, that means I love breakfast food such as a cheesy omelet or a stack of pancakes, all paired with a cup of coffee (re: my article on how I take my coffee). But my love for breakfast goes beyond its superior food offerings. I love all that comes with the meal. Sharing breakfast with someone is more personal than sharing lunch or dinner. At breakfast, your guard is down. There’s no need to get dressed up, no overly expensive option on the menu, it’s less time consuming, there’s less pressure to maintain a conversation. At breakfast, you see people for who they truly are. Breakfast is just chill. 

I think it takes a lot to be able to have breakfast with someone. It’s more intimate than other meals. It requires a special relationship. Over midterm break, my dad and I had a breakfast date at one of our favorite diners. He ordered his usual order, plus bacon so I could have some, and we both had our mugs filled with coffee and talked about my graduate classes, my future as a teacher and where I’m going to end up. When we left, I felt grateful to be able to have a relationship with my dad where I have no qualms about going out to breakfast with him. I don’t know that everyone can say the same about their relationships with their fathers. 

My love for breakfast stems from my childhood. After the busy school week was over, I knew that I could look forward to my mom’s pancakes every single weekend. These pancakes changed shapes with the seasons (I’ve had snowmen, footballs, Santa, turkeys, jack-o-lanterns, hearts, flowers, shamrocks and the classic Mickey Mouse) but the ritual was always the same. I’d get out of bed, help my mom make the batter, and sit at the kitchen table for hours enjoying the pancakes and talking to my mom. While the conversations have changed over the years from talking about what’s going on in elementary school that week to my field hockey schedule to my student loans, this tradition is still something that I look forward to when I’m home. I think that my mom and I could solve all the world’s problems at my kitchen table. It’s even more enjoyable when one or more of my sisters is able to join us, as in recent years I’ve been the only one living at home. 

This tradition is one that I’ve carried over to my college years. Freshman and sophomore year I always enjoyed dining hall pancakes on the weekends, and since having my own kitchen I make them myself. Over these pancakes I’ve had many debriefs with my friends and roommates about the previous night’s events. There is so much love in passing out pancakes to my roommates while we all sit in our pajamas at 1pm giggling about things that only we would understand or find funny. We can spend hours sitting around our kitchen island with a comfort show on in the background, not a care in the world how late into the day it is. 

My boyfriend Hayden and I have probably gone out to breakfast more than we’ve gone on any other date. Because he knows my love for the meal, I’ve gotten to experience a few of his favorite diners in his hometown. We’ve also enjoyed many breakfasts just in my college townhouse and house. There’s been plenty weekend mornings, or afternoons, where we finally decide to get out of bed and sit and chat over chocolate chip pancakes (although it took him five months to tell me he doesn’t actually like chocolate chips in his pancakes, so now I make his plain). There’s also been a lot of quiet weekday mornings where we’re both a touch too tired to speak, so we sit there and enjoy our eggs and toast quietly. Some of my favorite moments with Hayden have been these breakfasts, and I’m appreciative that while he thinks my obsession with the meal might be a little dramatic, he always indulges me in it. 

Breakfast isn’t a meal to be shared with just anyone. It’s a meal to share with those that are closest to you, those that you can let your guard down around, those who know you. I’m grateful to have my “breakfast people” in my life, and grateful to have been raised to appreciate the value of a stack of pancakes paired with good conversation. Breakfast is a meal for love and boy do I love breakfast. 

Natalie, or Nat as most know her, is a new member of Her Campus at SBU! This is her first year in the chapter, and she looks forward to using Her Campus as a way to express herself and rediscover her former love for writing. In May 2024, Natalie graduated with her bachelor's in history with minors in political science and Spanish from St. Bonaventure after three years. She is continuing her education and receiving her master's in adolescence education during what would be her senior year. As an undergrad, she was President of College Democrats, involved in University Ministries and held two jobs on campus. She is currently working as a graduate assistant with the student success center, teaching a FRES 100 class to 14 freshmen and meeting with them each week to help ensure their success in college. Outside of her professional career, Natalie enjoys anything that involves breakfast and coffee. She can talk anyone's ear off for hours on end, and frequently does so with her best friends. Her passions include anything to do with the city of Buffalo (go Bills), politics, her study abroad experience in Oxford, England and her early 2000s camcorder.