You know, the kind of hearty wake-up fare associated with crowing roosters and morning milkings? You could whip up an omelet or pancakes and sausage in your own urban kitchen. Or, you could seek an authentic setting for a breakfast menu rooted in the farming lifestyle. Take a weekend road trip to either a rural cafe that serves stick-to-your-ribs breakfast, or a bed-and-breakfast on a farm that offers a morning meal so fresh the eggs still may be warm from the nest. It’s hard to beat fresh country air, rolling green hills and a heaping helping of breakfast in the glow of an uninterrupted sunrise.

An evolving rhythm The classic, full-plate farm breakfast still is part of the rhythm of farm living, but it has evolved just as farming has evolved. Some farm families still start the day with a hearty breakfast, but others opt for homemade granola, instant oatmeal or cornflakes. While it is still an important meal, breakfast has lightened up in some farm homes where not as much physical labor is involved in producing the crops and livestock as there had been in the past.

I’d say the big, hearty breakfast is no longer the general rule for every day. Like the rest of us, they might often have a big breakfast on weekends. Farm families are eating more of a variety, and likely not as much in the morning as they did a couple of decades ago. Whether it’s daily fare or a rare treat, the farm-style breakfast remains a nostalgic experience.

So if they want a hearty breakfast, they either have to make it themselves or stop by a cafe. I believe in making everything big. Especially breakfast. You listen to your customers and they train you. When the Atkins diet first came out and was all the rage, requests for meat and eggs doubled.