Cereal as literary device

MelodyO · Sep 18, 2007

What's your favourite sugary cereal?

In my WIP, I'm planning to have my angels eat junky breakfast cereal for their first earthly meal, and I'm trying to decide which one is most tempting.

As an aside, I recently read somewhere (I can't for the life of me remember where, of course) that eating cereal in novels is overdone, especially Froot Loops, and most especially spelled "Fruit Loops" in error. I guess the authors are trying to imply emotional immaturity or something? I'm just trying to imply cereal would be super yum if you've never had anything else to compare it to. Does cereal really make an appearance in a lot of novels?

maxmordon · Sep 18, 2007

What about New Country Corn Flakes?

Sage · Sep 18, 2007

If you want super-yum and the characters aren't worried about anything going to their hips, I'd go with Cap'n Crunch. I don't know what they put in there, but it's like crack. Peanut Butter Crunch was also a childhood favorite.

Other ideas:
Cocoa Krispies
Frosted Flakes
Honey Nut Cheerios
Golden Crisp
Frosted Mini-Wheats
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Lucky Charms
Trix

MelodyO · Sep 18, 2007

maxmordon said:
What about New Country Corn Flakes?

Hee, I'll certainly keep it in mind.

Sassee · Sep 18, 2007

Honeycomb. Hands down. Or Frosted Mini Wheats, Count Chocula, Rice Krispies...

Do you want marshmallows or no?

MelodyO · Sep 18, 2007

Sage said:
If you want super-yum and the characters aren't worried about anything going to their hips, I'd go with Cap'n Crunch. I don't know what they put in there, but it's like crack. Peanut Butter Crunch was also a childhood favorite.

Other ideas:
Cocoa Krispies
Frosted Flakes
Honey Nut Cheerios
Golden Crisp
Frosted Mini-Wheats
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Lucky Charms
Trix

You are a cereal goddess! Thanks for the suggestions - Cap'n Crunch sounds very likely. Now I just have to make sure it's sold in the US.

Sassee · Sep 18, 2007

lol yes, Cap'n Crunch is sold here. Trust meh. In fact you just gave me a craving for it...

Sage · Sep 18, 2007

MelodyO said:
You are a cereal goddess! Thanks for the suggestions - Cap'n Crunch sounds very likely. Now I just have to make sure it's sold in the US.

YES!

Writer14 · Sep 18, 2007

Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter = Complete mouthgasm.
then theres cocoa rice krispes
Lucky Charms <3
(agreeing stage)

OH!! then there's this completely yummy cereal called... CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH

Okay...Pretty much, I agree with Sage. xP

kuwisdelu · Sep 18, 2007

Cinnamon Toast Crunch is like crack. It's mad tempting.

Or better yet, have one of your angels hail from Ireland and make it Lucky Charms.

Williebee · Sep 18, 2007

I'm thinking Lucky Charms, just because you can riff on the magical guy on the box.

Birol · Sep 18, 2007

Sassee said:
Honeycomb. Hands down. Or Frosted Mini Wheats, Count Chocula, Rice Krispies...

Do you want marshmallows or no?

If the super sugary sweet over-processed cereal isn't chocolate and doesn't talk to you, it has to have marshmallows.

I can't think of a single book I've read where the characters were eating cereal. What age level are you writing for? I wonder if that makes a difference?

BenPanced · Sep 18, 2007

I'm thinking Lucky Charms might work better. You know. Angels. Lucky charms. Metaphor?

Please send all checks to...

MelodyO · Sep 18, 2007

kuwisdelu said:
Cinnamon Toast Crunch is like crack. It's mad tempting.

Or better yet, have one of your angels hail from Ireland and make it Lucky Charms.

How tickled am I that your very first post ever to AW was used to talk about cereal with me? THIS TICKLED.

You are obviously magically delicious.

MelodyO · Sep 18, 2007

Birol said:
If the super sugary sweet over-processed cereal isn't chocolate and doesn't talk to you, it has to have marshmallows.

I can't think of a single book I've read where the characters were eating cereal. What age level are you writing for? I wonder if that makes a difference?

I'm writing for adults who want to read about heavenly creatures eating Cap'n Crunch and liking it. Show yourselves! I know you're out there! ::beats bushes with stick::

wordmonkey · Sep 19, 2007

OK, so this isn't gonna help overly, but it's connected and (I thought) funny.

So we're going on vacation - camping. We tell the kids that as it's a special thing they can have a different kinda cereal (we usually don't go for the sugary ones - in fact our two oldest think those mini-shredded wheat things, yeah, the ones that look like somethig you use to remove stubborn stains for frying-pans, and taste the same - are a treat! No, seriously.) To stop fighting we eventually go for those mini-multi-packs.

All the way home from the grocery store the boys are planning which one they will have first and which one they will have second, and trading their options as the one picked by a brother suddenly sounds way more appealing than the one they picked.

So my oldest finally opts for Froot Loops. And on our first vacation morning, it's like Christmas morning as he breaks the seal and delves into the box, wrestles with the inner bag, before passing to his Mom to cut open.

And then silence.

But not the blissful silence of a dream fulfilled. Just silence.

And then he says, studying the cereal before him, "Y' know, I thought these would be really good. They look really good on TV. The advert on TV is really good. They smell good," he pops another in his mouth, clearly not wanting to make a rash, snap-judgment. "But they don't taste so good."

And so my son took his first step into a bigger world and discovered that people on TV lie. Especially in cereal commercials. He's back on his pan-scrubbers now.

C.bronco · Sep 19, 2007

Captian Crunch- Crunch Berries
Lucky Charms (also good without milk)
Trix, silly rabbit

PeeDee · Sep 19, 2007

Your son is a wise, wise man now.

I would totally have your angels eat plain, nothing-in-'em Cheerios...and then be baffled by exactly what the big deal is over this cereal stuff.

BenPanced · Sep 19, 2007

PeeDee said:
Your son is a wise, wise man now.

I would totally have your angels eat plain, nothing-in-'em Cheerios...and then be baffled by exactly what the big deal is over this cereal stuff.

Or plain puffed rice. Without enough sugar, it's like packing material.

PeeDee · Sep 19, 2007

Or Shredded Wheat. If it's not frosted...Oh my god. Heck, even if it IS frosted.

In fact, now I think on it, if angels are having their first experiences on Earth and this is representative of us, the LAST THING I want them to have is breakfast cereal of any sort.

John61480 · Sep 19, 2007

Doesn't anyone like Frosted Corn Flakes at all?

PeeDee · Sep 19, 2007

I like the crumbly pile of broken flakes and sugar at the bottom of the bag.

(when I read the title to this thread, I thought, "Oh god, we have really analyzed everything now, haven't we?")

benbradley · Sep 19, 2007

Frosted flakes are so good that, when I was growing up, they were still named "Sugar Frosted Flakes." According to this source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frosted_Flakes
The word "sugar" was dropped from the product in the 1970s.

John Kellogg, the original maker of Corn Flakes, is featured in this book. I'm told by someone who read it that Kellogg introduced his breakfast cereals as a way to reduce m..........:

Here's another Wikipedia link talking of Kellogg's obsession. If it's on Wikipedia, it MUST be true!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harvey_Kellogg

Soccer Mom · Sep 19, 2007

Lucky Charms: They need to pick out the marshmallows and eat them until they feel sick.

Froot Loops: Mmmmmmmmmmm.

Cap'n Crunch: Crunchetize me Cap'n! I recommend Crunchberry flavor or Peanut Butter flavor. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Trix: Silly angels! Trix are for kids.

Susan Flemming · Sep 19, 2007

MelodyO said:
As an aside, I recently read somewhere (I can't for the life of me remember where, of course) that eating cereal in novels is overdone, especially Froot Loops, and most especially spelled "Fruit Loops" in error.

I think you might be referring to this post from Anna Genoese's blog.

Now to answer your question... Honeycomb was a childhood favourite. Though I have to say the Canadian version tastes better. But maybe that's just because that's what I grew up with.

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