Let’s get this out of the way quickly so I can go and eat the rest of mine. These are one of my absolute favorites of all time. The reason the name “Melonpan” for these Japanese breads? Because the size/shape is like melon. And the Japanese word ‘pan’ is bread. So you could translate this to ‘melon-shaped bread’. It falls in the breakfast bread category.

This sweet bread has a sugary coating that adheres to itself creating a flaky thick ’shell’ of sorts. Add the chocolate chips and you’ve just given energy within the perfected texture.  Love it. Love it. Love it.  The softness of the bread and an outer crispness from the sugar crystals are two competing textures that balance well. Some photos here hopefully prove that it’s at least worthwhile treat. You can pick Melonpan up in packages at the grocery store in Japan or freshly baked in the donut / bread sections too. There are many flavors and styles of these and they are part of popular culture in Japan. Last comment, Melonpan like donuts don’t really offer nutrition. It’s all about enjoyment, and I suppose the fleeting energy from empty calories.

You know the cereal aisle at the grocery store. Go ahead and skip all that. Because an average cereal aisle has been corrupted for years. I wish it was funny that you have to go to the health food section to get some quality cereal. It’s really not funny, just sad and pathetic. You want less processed and above all, little or no sugar. When I was growing up, I never made good cereal choices, and now that I want to, I’m having a lot trouble finding them. Because many of the choices are misleading. If you want a healthy cereal, first you need to find whole ingredients. Next you need to make sure it hasn’t been dumped over by the sugar industry. I don’t know where the blame lies. Some say that with government subsidies, the sugar industry has to find any and every food it can, and fill it up with sugary essence. Others would say that the cereal companies are simply giving the public what it wants. Solving the problem will no doubt require battles on both fronts. But you can fight your own consumer war by buying really good cereals, and writing letters saying you want less sugar. How do I know this works? Because it worked for peanut butter.

My best two choices for you in cereals are: Uncle Sam’s Cereal with Mixed Berries and Kashi Go Lean Crunch, Honey Almond Flax.

A word of warning. Start small with the Uncle Sam cereal. If you are not used to bran, it can actually cause you pain. You have to build up your “resistance.” I was hungry one morning, and had a couple bowls of it. Don’t do that. You’re stomach and bowels won’t approve. What I’ve been doing lately is getting a bowl of the Kashi, and then putting the Uncle Sam flakes on top. Sound boring? Sure it is. Then you ad some more fruit (because freeze dried fruit is not nutritious) like blueberries and strawberries. And you’ve got a real breakfast meal there. After you do that for a while, you’ll wonder what kind of idiots would buy Oreo or Reese’s cereal. I know because I used to buy those cereals, and I was an idiot for doing it.