As a 20-something-year-old in New York City, the term "brunch" is thrown around quite often. It sneaks out into the conversation on a random Sunday night, perhaps with the distant pang of last night's escapades.
The origins of brunch are quite unclear. Some "food historians" believe that brunch is rooted in England's hunt breakfasts, which are "lavish multi-course meals that featured a smorgasbord of goodies such as chicken livers, eggs, meats, bacon, fresh fruits and sweets." While others think that brunch is derived from the "practice of Catholics fasting before mass and then sitting down for a large midday meal."
The combination of breakfast and lunch to form the word brunch first appeared in print in an 1895 Hunter's Weekly article.
"Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting," Beringer says. "It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week."
But wherever the meal originated, it soon made its way over to the United States in the 1930s, apparently due to Hollywood stars making transcontinental train trips, frequently stopping in Chicago to enjoy a late morning meal aka brunch.
"In the 1940s, the Fifth Avenue Hotel featured a “Sunday Strollers’ Brunch” which consisted of sauerkraut juice, clam cocktails, and calf’s liver with hash browns, according to the New York Times. In the 1920s, one women’s magazine recommended that in constructing a brunch menu, “a delicate hash, light fish balls, liver, and bacon are all appropriate.”" (Beyond Bacon)
From SoHo to the Upper East Side, there are so many places to frolic to. You can either go classic or crazy with chicken fried waffles or simple, fluffy pancakes. The choice is all up to you, which can be very confusing. But it can actually be followed through in five steps.
1. Pick your favorite place.
Don't mess around for brunch. I'm all for trying new restaurants, but sometimes, you just need to stick to routine. My go-to is Veselka on 2nd Avenue and E. 9th Street. They are open 24 hours and have free coffee, tea and orange juice if you order one of the breakfast specials. To top it off, they are incredibly cheap, or cheap in respect to other places. But, my opinion isn't the end all, be all, so I ventured to an NYU Facebook group to ask my fellow classmates where they go for brunch.
"Cafe Orlin on St Marks fam it's always lit," said Josh Bender, NYU '18
" Fiat cafe in SoHo," said Amanda Choy, NYU '18
"Boulton and Watt!" said Kate Avino, NYU '18
"Jack's Wife Freda is yummy and super Instagram friendly if you're into photographing your food," said Ruby Evangeline Elwell
"mudd, san marzano, el camion!" said Gabrielle Makower
"San marz -- bottomless mimosas!" said Angelina Joyce
"Friend of a farmer!" said Taylor McCann
2. Go with your best friend.
Company matters in this situation. Bring someone you can complain to about the upcoming week, divulge last night's weird memories and share some sweet potato fries with.
3. Make sure it's a Sunday after noon.
If you want to avoid lines, go before noon, but who has the energy? Roll out of bed, put on some comfy, seasonally appropriate clothes (especially if you are going to be sitting outside). Also, it's great to have a quick treat, recharge day before you go back to working 40 hours a week. Good timing.
4. Don't forget the coffee.
Because tea won't freaking cut it for this occasion.
5. Treat yourself.
The past few months, I have had a really strict food budget, where I actually deleted my Seamless app (I only ordered once from my roommate's phone). But I allow myself to treat myself to some eggs and toast and a lot of coffee while at brunch once a week. We can't be perfect all the time, and sometimes we really do deserve a special treat. There's nothing wrong with spoiling yourself.
Click here to see my video about Five Steps to New York City Brunch.
