In Praise of Breakfast Sustenance and substance of the morning meal. BY VANESSA SALVIA In James Michener's Iberia, a book of reflections on the author's Spanish travels, he wrote that the Spanish bargemen enjoyed anchovies, "hard bread, harder cheese, and red wine" as their morning meal. Our own custom of fried eggs, bacon, coffee and orange juice served alongside yesterday's tragedies displayed in the newspaper sounds much less civilized than the bargemen's honest offerings to the young writer. Ernest Hemingway displayed his great love of food in both his stout physique and in his writings. In one of his short stories, "Big Two-Hearted River: Part 1," he describes an unpleasant-sounding concoction that was probably the best breakfast his protagonist had ever eaten: Nick … did not believe he had ever been hungrier. He opened and emptied a can of pork and beans and a can of spaghetti into the frying pan. ... While he waited for the coffee to boil, he opened a can of apricots. He liked to open cans. ... While he watched the coffee on the fire, he drank the juice syrup of the apricots. Most of us aren't having pork and beans and canned apricots for breakfast, but this passage does display two important requirements of a successful breakfast: that some part of it be warm and some part of it be sweet. Breakfast. The word comes from the fast you break after sleeping all night and conjures up something solemn and ritualistic. Typically, Americans prefer sweet stuff for breakfast, and we want what we're used to, with few or no variations. Eggs must be cooked a certain way or the rest of the day is destined to be a disappointment. Elizabethan households may have enjoyed morning meals like the ones we're used to, consisting of eggs, bread and butter, even pancakes topped with sweet syrupy fruit, marmalades and powdered sugar. Hot coffee with sugar, cold cereal with sugar, frosted doughnut, French toast with powdered sugar, or pancakes with butter and maple syrup get most modern motors running in the morning. No other meal lends itself so completely to the consumption of sugar and fat. Maybe it's adaptive, an evolutionary holdover from when we woke up on the floor of the cave on frigid ice age mornings and needed energy quickly. A carrot stick, no matter how healthy, is just not satisfying after an eight-hour fast. While we often drink a reviving glass of cold orange juice, minds still require something warm to ease the transition from bed to outside world. The simplest of breakfasts, toast with butter, is a slice of bread warmed up a little to seem more nourishing. Even if some people have nothing but coffee and cigarettes on weekdays, on leisurely weekend mornings we yearn for something more substantial. The comforting sizzle of frying bacon, warm creaminess of eggs scrambled with butter and the rejuvenating smell of brewing coffee puts all right with the world. Americans love breakfast so much that we have also perfected brunch. Most brunch foods are more elaborate breakfast foods that allow us to extend our enjoyment of all things egg (omelettes, frittatas, scrambles, crepes) served with all things sweet (muffins, scones, jams, fruits, syrups) and salty (sausages, bacon, ham, smoked salmon). Plus, brunch gives us tacit approval to indulge in alcohol before noon – if it's combined with fruit juice, as in a mimosa or a bloody Mary. W. K. Kellogg was definitely a pioneer when it came to mass-producing and mass-marketing cold breakfast cereal, but oh, how lucky we are that today we have so many choices!   Hungry Now? Try These! Studio One, 1473 E. 19th Ave. 342-8596 If you're not totally committed to a sweet breakfast, don't even think about Studio One's French toast: three slices of challah bread thicker than your thumb, stuffed with a light house-made almond custard and topped with a syrupy berry compote, dusted with powdered sugar. It hits all the right morning food spots: sweet, fruity, warm, soft and comforting. However, don't attempt a Studio One breakfast if you're short on time. It's a small place and quite popular, and eating there on a weekend often involves a substantial wait. The service can be spotty, and coffee refills aren't always forthcoming, so go with patience and maybe your own espresso. One you're seated and served, it's worth the wait. Keystone Café, 395 W. 5th Ave. 342-2075. Again, don't attempt eating here if you're in a hurry. It's often crowded and noisy and you have to get your own coffee and water, making it a less than relaxing experience, but no other restaurant offers such a diverse breakfast menu. There are plenty of options for omnivores and strict vegans, such as myriad egg scrambles and tofu or tempeh options with nutritional yeast (delicious!) or tomato gravy. The house-made herb toast can't be beat, and portion sizes are filling but not overly so. Sometimes the coffee tastes like dishwater, but if breakfast is what you want, you will definitely leave satisfied.   | Quick Bites | Triple Scoop of New Restaurants | Bye Bye Cabana Blue | Food Bloggers | Mmmm, Breakfast | Coastal Wine & Gormet Sources |