Cereal Ain't That Simple!

My husband asked me to get him some breakfast cereal yesterday as I was getting ready to do my weekly food shopping.

“What kind do you want?” I asked him. “Oh, anything will do.” he responded. I finished cutting out a few coupons and with that I was off to the supermarket.

You never realize how daunting the cereal aisle is until you stand there staring it down in confusion. It spans the entire aisle on one side with its crunchy, sugar coated goodness! I must have looked perplexed as a man who was shopping for cereal too stopped me.

“You know,” he started, “When I was a kid there were only 3 kinds of cereal. Now look at all the choices! You even have cereal that has sticks in it. Who wants to eat sticks?!” I shook my head in agreement as he walked off empty handed. Well, I certainly don’t want to eat sticks and I am sure my husband doesn’t so I will cross that one off my list!” I thought to myself.

As a kid I remember yearning for the “junkie” cereals as my mom would refer to them. Cocoa Puffs, Fruit Loops and Cap’n Crunch with crunch berries were never on the breakfast menu at our house. My mom would only get us the boring cereals like Cheerios and Wheaties. I would counter the taste of the bland flakes by dumping 3 tablespoons of sugar on top. My mom would then scold me as Bruce Jenner stared at me with disapproval from the box of Wheaties!  

After spending 20 minutes perusing for cereals I picked out something and went on my way to finish the rest of my food shopping. When I arrived home my husband was there waiting to help me unload the groceries.

“What took you so long?” he asked. “I had a hard time picking out a breakfast cereal for you.” I admitted.

“How hard can that be, its just cereal!” he said.

“Just cereal?! You have to have a PHD in nutrition and sales marketing just to figure out which one to buy!” I replied.

“So what did you finally end up getting?” my husband asked with a smile. I pulled out a box from the bag and placed it in his hands.

“Cocoa Puffs?! He exclaimed! “With all the vitamin and fiber enriched cereals they have on the shelves these days, you get this stuff?”

“What can I say, I was feeling deprived from my childhood and I couldn’t resist!” It was either this or cereal with sticks in it!” You might say that I am…..”

“Don’t say it!” my husband interrupted.

“I am cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!” I declared.

“That is very lame dear.” he said as he walked back to the car to get the rest of the bags.

“Hmph! Just for that, I thought, I have first dibs on the prize inside the box!”