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Comment by jpatokal | Hacker News Reader

Totally random factoid: Cinnabon is huge in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the few places that gives the US a run for its money in having large numbers of wealthy and morbidly obese people who drive everywhere and get virtually no exercise.

I also spotted one in Tokyo earlier this year, nestled in the shadow of the Mori Tower in one of the toniest neighbourhoods in the country. The rolls were scaled down to Japanese size expectations, but the shop was still rattlingly empty every time I passed by around 9 AM in the morning at what you'd expect to be commuter peak hour.

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The Tokyo one gets lines on weekends, but to be honest Cinnabon is just way too much relative to other food here.

Even having spent my childhood chugging Doctor Peppers and stuffing my face with pizzas, I couldn't deal with a normal-ish roll from there after being here. There's a Frijoles close to the Cinnabon, and I came away with the same feeling. Just way too much, and way too heavy.

Way too much, and way too heavy? What kinds of foods do Japanese eat for breakfast?

I was actually surprised by this. At least in hotels (specially in the traditional "ryokans"), the Japanese breakfast consists of some sort of fish (normally grilled), rice, some small bites (mostly for flavor) of seaweeds and some soup or another. I have no idea what people eat at home, but all in all it's not a terrible way to start your day (once you get over not having a bunch of sweet stuff.)

Well, that's the canonical Japanese breakfast, in the same way that a canonical American breakfast is eggs, bacon, baked beans, hash browns, pancakes etc -- but most people scarf down some cereal instead.

Rice for breakfast is definitely a thing though, but it's a lot simpler than ryokan fare: in my student days, I often just had last night's leftovers with a cup of miso soup and maybe some pickles. Here's an interesting view of various actual Japanese breakfasts, although I suspect these are also towards the elaborate end of the spectrum:

https://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/02/20/whats-really-for-brea...

This is interesting. I don't have a routine of what I eat for breakfast. I just improvise every morning (: do people usually eat the same thing every morning?

I do for the most part. I always eat oatmeal and plain yogurt, I just add different fruit. I can buy the oatmeal and yogurt in bulk,I don't have to think about breakfast, and the variety of fruits keeps it palatable.

Only visited a few times. Traditionally I hear it's fish and miso. There is also what seems to be french pastry places where half of them are filled with custard. When I was there we went to the pastry places, but after a few days became too much.

We tried to check out a few artisanal donut places around Tokyo since I heard they were a new thing (at the time). Most seemed to be open very at odd times (I can't remember, but maybe from like 1-3pm?). We stumbled onto a Krispy Kreme and were surprised they offered a donut served with ice cream on top. I guess it was seen more as a dessert than breakfast?

http://krispykreme.jp/campaign/doughnutice/

I lived in north america for 7 years, and just realized some people consider a donut to be breakfast.

I am an American adult and was raised in America and I have never heard of anyone admitting to having donuts (or even a donut) for breakfast. But they must...

I guess I just thought people were going to Dunkin Donuts in the morning just to grab a coffee. I mean you've only just gotten up there's no way you've already done something to deserve a donut.

As a kid in Texas, definitely had donuts for breakfast

Folks in Indiana certainly have them for breakfast.

Outside of breakfast, they are generally just served as something to go with coffee and so on, but they are definitely not dessert. A snack.

Really? Donuts seem like a pretty common office carry-in. At every place I've worked, someone would bring in donuts at least once a month. When I worked at a regional pizza chain, the morning shift would make donuts out of leftover pizza dough and dump chocolate syrup on them.

It feels like they are the quintessential breakfast food for feeding groups (much like pizza is). But maybe that's only a midwestern thing. But I'd be surprised because most major donut chains (Dunkin, Krispy Kreme, Tim Hortons), are not from here.

I'm an American in my 40s and I occasionally have a (vegan) donut for breakfast, but I recognize this as the ridiculously caloric and unhealthy choice that it is. I don't really consider donuts breakfast food.

Japanese “Japanese-style” meals usually consist of fish, rice, miso soup, and 2-3 side dishes.

Breakfast is usually the lightest meal of the day so sometimes we will have just rice and miso soup and pickles or natto.

Japanese “western” breakfast is toast and a Japanese-style fried egg (medamayaki). Maybe bacon too.

Most people I know alternate between Japanese-style Japanese, western (fried cutlets, bread, pasta, meat sauces), and Chinese (fried rice, gyoza, ramen, mabo tofu) or Korean (kimchi, yakiniku) for lunch and dinner.

There are about 10-20 dishes that pretty much every Japanese person who can cook learns to cook.

A quick search confirmed what I suspected, Cinnabon doesn't seem to have done too well in India. India does not seem to like cinnamon flavored stuff too much.

https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Cinnabon-in-India-shut-down-mo...

Does 'toniest' mean wealthy / snobbish? I've never heard it used in this context. Thanks.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tony+definition

Yeah, I think this is the first time I've ever even heard 'toniest'

Its a slightly older slang term but its obvious me what 'toniest' means.

There was an awesome Apple II game called Tass Times in Tone Town that the quote reminded me of: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tass_Times_in_Tonetown

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