One of the most popular commercials in television history involves breakfast cereal. In the 1980’s, Life cereal had a situation commercial where three brothers, ranging from two to eight years old, were sitting at the breakfast table. Two of them were contemplating whether or not to eat the new cereal their parents bought them. Apparently, not sure what to do, they thought of a plan to present it to the youngest brother, Mikey. Knowing Mikey is difficult with food, if he eats it, then it must be good. Mikey began to eat the cereal as the brothers were staring at him in anticipation. ‘Hey Mikey, look, he likes it!’
Life is one of many choices of kosher cereals we have. In fact, if you’re talking about choices, I especially like ‘the family variety pack’ (different varieties in mini boxes). Apparently, with the overwhelming amount of different cereals available at the supermarket, it seems like one can never refer to eating cereal as boring.
Last week we spoke of the first of six different categories of cereal and their respective brachot. Because of the vast varieties, one can get lost as to which bracha to make. In fact, it could get so complicated my friend, Ruben Kolyakov, pointed out that one particular cereal, Kellogg’s Crispix, remarkably has two brachot – mezonot and ha’adama because one side is made of rice and one side is made of corn; and they’re both ikar (main brachot of the cereal). Rabbi Avram Sebrow of Yeshiva Chafetz Chaim (writer for the Five Towns News) also agrees about the unique double blessing and adds that one has to make the mezonot bracha first because it’s on a higher level of importance.
This week we’ll discuss the second category, which is oven-puffed crisp rice (Kellogg’s Rice Krispies is an example.)
Crisp rice cereals are made by a process called oven puffing. The main process for making crisp rice is as follows: Whole rice is cooked with sugar and flavoring. The rice kernels are then dried and slightly squashed. The kernels are placed in an extremely hot oven for puffing, after which they are toasted. In another process, ground rice is cooked into a batter and extruded into small pellets. The pellets are then puffed and toasted. Both types of crisp rice are subject to the bracha of mezonot. This also applies to crisp rice which is flavored with cocoa and fruit flavoring (such as Cocoa Pebbles, Cocoa Krispies, and Fruity Pebbles.)
One may ask ‘why was the Life commercial so popular?’ I believe Americans of every age fell in love with Mikey and his brothers because it reminded them of youth, of themselves. Cereal is something which is appealing to all ages and to all walks of life. Everybody gets that refreshing get-up-and-go feeling after a bowl. Folks have gravitated from the simple and sweet cereals of childhood to a healthy high grain, high cosmopolitan-ish contraption of a cereal. I sometimes stroll down the aisle of a supermarket with my son and wonder if I should get the oldie but goodie classic cereal or I should be a daredevil and try something new like Mikey. |
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