Manners

Manners are a thing that I have been brought up to have. Sometimes my own manners are not great, however I do strongly believe that manners are an essential part of society. In sociology manners are unenforced standards of conduct which show that you are proper, polite and refined. 'Correct' manners change according to geographical location, social status, occasion and many other factors.

Breakfast in... China

Breakfasts vary greatly between different regions. In northern China breakfast fare typically includes 'haujuan, mantou(steamed breads), 'shaobing' (unleavened pocket-bread with sesame), baozi (steamed buns with meat or vegetable stuffing), with dounai or doujiang (soy milk) or tea served in Chinese style as beverages.

In central and eastern China, typified by Shanghai and the neighbouring Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, breakfast includes some northern as well as southern dishes. These may be 'ci fan tuan' a soup made by fried tofu and cellophane noodles); plain rice porridge served with numerous side dishes, such as salted duck eggs, pickled vegetables, and century eggs; or sweetened or savoury soy milk served with 'shāobǐng' or 'youtiao'.

In southeastern China, such as Fujian province, breakfasts consist of rice porridge served with side dishes such as pickled vegetables and century eggs (also known as thousand-year old eggs).

Chinese steamed eggs is a common dish served throughout China. Vegetables, shrimp, scallions, and tofu are commonly added and steamed with the eggs. In southern areas, eggs are usually served with rice congee, but in the northern areas it is served with mantou (Chinese steamed buns).

In southern China, represented by Guangdong province, breakfasts include rice porridge prepared to a thicker consistency than those sold in Shanghai. Side dishes are not served. Congee is served with yóutiáo if it is plain. In many cases, however, congee is prepared with meats or dried vegetables, such as beef slices, shredded salted pork and century eggs, fish, or slices of pig's liver and kidney. It can be served with or without 'youtiao'. Other breakfast fares include rice noodle rolls (cheong fun) (served with hoisin sauce and soy sauce, without fillings), fried noodles (pan fried noodles with bean sprouts, spring onions, and soy sauce), fangao (rice cakes), jianbing (thin crispy omelets with fillings folded in), luobogao (turnip cakes) and zongzi (another kind of rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves). The dim sum specialties are in a different class. Dim sum is often eaten as brunch at special dim sum restaurants.

Breakfast in... Burma

In Burma, the traditional breakfast in town and country alike is 'htamin jaw', fried rice with boiled peas (pè byouk), and yei nway jan (green tea) especially among the poor.

Glutinous rice or 'kao hnyin' is a popular alternative, steamed wrapped in banana leaf often with peas as kao hnyin baung served with a sprinkle of crushed and salted toasted sesame. Equally popular is the purple variety known as 'nga cheik' cooked the same way and called 'nga cheik paung'. 'Si damin' is sticky rice cooked with tumeric and onions in peanut oil and served with crushed and salted toasted sesame and crispfried onions. Assorted fritters such as baya jaw 'urad dal' go with all of them.

'Nan bya' or 'naan' (Indian-style flatbreads) again with pè byouk or simply buttered is served with Indian tea or coffee. It also goes very well with hseiksoup (mutton soup).

Fried chapati, blistered like 'nan bya' but crispy, with 'pè byouk' and crispy fried onions is a popular alternative.

'Htat ta ya' which literally means "a hundred layers", is flaky multilayered fried 'paratha' served with either 'pè byouk' or a sprinkle of sugar.

'Eeja gway' (Chinese-style fried breadsticks or 'youtiao') with Indian tea or coffee is another favourite.

'Mohinga', perhaps the most popular of all, now available as an "all-day breakfast" in many towns and cities, is rice vermicelli in fish broth kept on the boil with chickpea flour and/or crushed toasted rice, lemon grass , sliced banana stem, onions, garlic, ginger, pepper and fish paste and served with crispy fried onions, crushed dried chilli, coriander, fish sauce and lime. Add fritters such as split chickpea (pè jan jaw), urad dal (baya jaw) or 'gourd'(bu jaw), boiled egg and fried fish cake (nga hpè jaw).

Another dish, growing in popularity because of its healthier composite and economic friendliness, is the Rakhine Mont-de, a variant of Mohinga, but lighter. It consists of thin rice noodles eaten with clear soup, made from boiled ngapi and lemon grass. Toasted fish flakes, from snakefish and green and red chili paste are also added, with seasoning. RakhineMont-de is also called ar-pu-shar-pu (literally "hot throat", "hot tongue") because of its heavy use of spicy ingredients. A salad version also exists. It is now available in many cities and towns across Burma.

Breakfast in... Asia

The breakfast in Asia is very connected with the Asian lifestyle, as all other meals. Unlike the African breakfast, a typical Asian breakfast shares far less similarities with the European and American breakfast. Rice is infallible part of an Asian breakfast in most areas in Asia, however stuff like fermented cabbage also have big role in an Asian breakfast.

• Afghanistan. A typical breakfast would be omelette or boiled eggs, cake or biscuits, buttered toast, rice with koft'a (meat) or sabzi (vagetable). Drinks include black tea, orqaimaaq chai (green tea with milk and rose essence or cardamom seeds).

• Cambodia. In Cambodia, rice congee (babaw) is widely eaten for breakfast. Plain congee is typically eaten with salted eggs, pickled vegetables, or dried fish. Chicken congee, pig's blood congee, and seafood congee are also commonly eaten. Cambodians also enjoy rice served with sliced pork or chicken with pickled vegetables or a noodle dish (usually a noodle soup called khtieau). Caw (a pork or fish soup dish made with caramelized sugar) is also eaten with congee or rice for breakfast.

• Korea. In South Korea breakfast contains rice, soup, several kinds of 'namul' or seasoned vegetables, kimchi (fermented, pickled vegetables), and grilled meat or fish. Traditionally, food eaten in the morning does not differ substantially from the other meals of the day, though the number of dishes is fewer. Today, however, people are more likely to eat Western-style breakfasts similar to those in the United States.

• Laos. In Laos, it is customary to eat soup for breakfast, as well as congee.

• Nepal. Breakfast contains bread, soup, vegetables and chappati called puri tarkari. Tea and milk are part of the daily breakfast routine, along with satu (powder of corn) or 'chiura' (beaten rice) etc. Dal, bhat and tarkari are the famous staple foods of Nepal.

• Hong Kong.Traditional Chinese breakfasts in Hong Kong follow those in Canton. Also found are local interpretations of English breakfast and eastern Chinese breakfast fare. The long periods of British colonial rule and the influx of many refugees from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai around the end of the Chinese Civil War changed eating habits. In Hong Kong, 'cha chaan teng' breakfasts might consist of Hong Kong-style milk tea, coffee, or 'yuen yeung', served with bread, ham, and fried eggs, and a bowl of macaroni soup with ham. The Taiwanese regard this local interpretation of the English breakfast as unique to Hong Kong. In upscale restaurants or hotels, however, standard English and Continental breakfasts are served.
• • Sri Lanka. The traditional breakfast includes usually fresh roti, pittu, string hoppers, hoppers, milk rice, appa, green gram or bread . These are usually eaten with sambol (coconut, maldive fish or seeni-onion fried with chili and sugar),with jaggery, plantains or curry (fish, meat or vegetable). Noodles and cereals such as cornflakes are relative newcomers in main cities. Sri Lankans also have a traditional soup-like drink called kanda. A typical everyday breakfast can simply consist of "brother bread" with dhal curry, sambol, butter and cheese or jam, plantain banana and tea.
  • Taiwan. The influx of mainland Chinese to the Taiwan Province in 1949 after the end of the Chinese Civil War changed breakfast habits. Breakfasts tend to be a mix of northern and eastern Chinese dishes and the traditional southeastern Chinese fare. This is more pronounced in cities with high proportions of people of mainland Han Chinese descent, such as Taipei. A typical Taiwan breakfast consists of 'you tiao' (a fried breadstick), dou jiang (a warm, savory soybean soup), and sao bing (a crispy scallion pancakes). The you tiao is dipped in the dou jiang, similar to how bread is dipped in soup.
  • Thailand. In the case of Thailand, a variety of different foods are served for breakfast since the country has opened to the eating cultures from many countries. Thai-Chinese people typically have 'congee/jook', boil-rice with fishes, pickles, dried shredded pork; dim-sum is also popular in some provinces, particularly in the south of Thailand. During rush hours in big cities, particularly Bangkok, people would have a fast and simple Western style breakfast, for example, bread, cornflakes, omelet, coffee and milk. Street eateries in Bangkok offer a wide range of food, such as sandwiches, grilled or fried pork with sticky rice, noodles, rice and Thai curries. Since there are so many kinds of food for breakfast, Thai people usually say that they would eat whatever they want for their breakfast.

Breakfast in... Africa

Although breakfast in Africa varies by region, fruit plays significant part in an African breakfast, and meals in general. Neighboring cultures exude a great influence in Northern Africa while South African breakfasts have become defined by European and American settlers.

• Ghana. The typical breakfast includes omelets; a very sweet and dense bread known as sugar bread; and tea. Porridge is occasionally eaten at home, while many people purchase their breakfasts from street vendors. A porridge called Tom Brown (a light brown porridge made from roasted maize flour) is also eaten for breakfast.

• Senegal. Breakfast typically includes freeze-dried coffee, typically Nescafé, with dried milk and abundant sugar, accompanied by baguette with various spreads: Chocoleca, aNutella equivalent made from peanuts; butter; or processed mild cheese. Fresh fruit, including mangoes and bananas, are often also part of a simple breakfast.

• Uganda. Breakfasts vary by region. People often have a cup of tea with a variety of either warm or cold foods. In central Uganda, tea is prepared with milk and ginger, and it is served with a warm meal known locally as katogo. This is a combination of green cooking bananas (matooke) mixed either in a stew from beef or in sauce from vegetables such as beans. In some parts of northern Uganda, breakfast would consist of tea and boiled cassava

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and hosts over 25o different ethnic groups, with related varieties of cusines.

With the south western Yoruba people one of the most common breakfasts is Ògì— a porridge made from corn, usually served with evaporated milk. Ògì is eaten with Acarajé or Moi moi. Both are made from ground bean paste; akara is fried in oil, and moi moi is wrapped in leaves or foil and then steamed. Ògì can also be steamed in leaves to harden it and eaten with akara or moi moi for breakfast.

English tea or malta is served as a breakfast drink. Another popular option in southwest Nigeria is garri, which is eaten like a cereal. Garri, known in Brazil as farofa, is made from the root of cassava. For breakfast, it is soaked in water and sweetened with sugar.

In contemporary times, a local meal called waakye (rice cooked in beans) is very common. People prefer to buy waakye from street vendors just as they do other small meals. It is normally eaten before work begins in offices.

Breakfast in terms of nutrition

Breakfast is the first meal of the day, usually consumed in the morning. The word is a compound of "break" and "fast", referring to the conclusion of fasting since the previous day's last meal. Breakfast meals vary widely in different cultures around the world, but often include a carbohydrate such as cereal or rice, fruit and/or vegetable, protein, sometimes dairy, and beverage.

Nutritional experts have referred to breakfast as the most important meal of the day, citing studies that find that people who skip breakfast are disproportionately likely to have problems with concentration, metabolism, and weight.

Breakfast

Everyone has been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is my favourite meal by far, I often have at least one. The best thing is the variety of things that are on offer; cereals to suit your mode, continental for the more sophisticated, or a full english for gluttonous swines like myself. In my opinion there is nothing better than a full, greasy fry up with at least two kinds of pork. When contemplating the question 'What is good?', food was always going to be one of my themes. Eating is one of my favorite past times. I would regard myself as quite experienced and educated on the subject. I tried to focus on one area of this rather broad subject, which I found particularly difficult. I don't know if I could pick a favourite food, dish or even just a favourite cusine. My stomach rumbled violently and I realised it was about time for me to make some scrambled eggs.