In the United States, breakfast food is pretty predictable; eggs, toast, bacon, a bagel, juice, coffee, etc. But around the world, breakfast time involves much more than these run-of-the-mill choices. Take a peek at what other children are eating before starting their day. All photos by Hannah Whitaker.
#1. Saki Suzuki, who is nearly three years old, lives in Tokyo, Japan
Her breakfast consists of a fermented soybean dish called natto, kabocha squash in soy sauce and sweet sake, miso soup, pickled cucumber, a rolled egg omelet or tamagoyaki, a small piece of grilled salmon and rice.
#2. Doga Gunce Gursoy, an eight-year-old girl from Istanbul, Turkey, sits down to a meal of epic choices
Some of the more interesting items include kaymak which is a honey and clotted cream on toasted bread, black and green olives, pekmez which is a viscous grape syrup covered with tahini, kahvaltilik biber salcasi which is a grilled pepper paste and an assortment of goat and cow-milk cheeses.
#3. Nathanaël Witschi Picard, a six-year-old boy from Paris, France has a more straightforward breakfast
He is nibbling on a tartine, which is an open-faced baguette covered in both butter and blackberry jam, cereal and milk, orange juice and a single kiwi sliced in half.
#4. Phillip Kamtengo (four) and Shelleen Kamtego (also four) are from Chitedze Malawi
Their breakfast consist of chikondamoyo, a cornbread-like sweet bread, boiled potatoes, porridge and black tea.
#5. Koki Hayashi, a four-year-old from Tokyo, Japan
Koki Hayashi from Tokyo, sits down at the table to feast on stir fry of green peppers and tiny, salty dried fish, raw egg mixed with soy sauce over rice, burdock roots with lots and carrots all sautéed in kinpira, a seasame-seed oil, a simple miso soup, grapes, a sliced Asian pear, and finally, milk.
#6. Viv Bourdrez is a five year old girl from Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Her breakfast is definitely on the sweeter side. She usually has a piece of bread with unsalted butter that’s been covered in sweet sprinkles, chocolate shavings or fruit. She washes it down with some milk.
#7. Birta Gudrun Brynjarsdottir, who is a three and a half year old girl from Reykjavik, Iceland, is enjoys a simple but hearty breakfast
She eats hafragrautur, an oatmeal porridge made with brown sugar, butter, maple syrup, orsurmjolk (sour milk) and lysi, which is a cod-liver oil.
#8. Aricia Domenica Ferreira (four) and Hakim Jorge Ferreira Gomes (two), are from São Paulo, Brazil
They have a simple breakfast of ham and cheese rolls, pao com manteiga (break and butter), chocolate moil and some coffee.
#9. Emily Kathumba, a seven-year-old girl from Chitedze, Malawi
Emily Kathumba from Chitedze feasts on phala, a cornmeal porridge, deep-fried fritters made from cornmeal, garlic, chiles and onions, boiled sweet potato and a juice made from hibiscus flowers and sugar.
#10. Oyku Ozarslan, who is a nine-year-old girl from Istanbul, Turkey has quite the eclectic spread of options here
She nibbles away at black and green olives, tomato slices, a selection of Turkish cheeses, a hard-boiled egg, butter soaked in honey, strawberry jam and a simple piece of toast.
#11. Tiago Bueno Young, a three-year-old boy from São Paulo, Brazil does not look too pleased this morning
He is about to eat a breakfast of banana cake and bisnaguinha, a sweet bread served with a kind of mild cream cheese called requeijao, chocolate milk and a simple bowl of corn flakes and milk.
This eclectic and interesting range of foods from different countries reminds us that breakfast could always do with a bit more variety. So if you are sick of your typical breakfast options, try one of these meals one morning. You may be pleasantly surprised.