My name is Beth and I am married to a cerealaholic. David has been addicted to cereal for at least ten years. I suppose I should have paid more attention to the signs that were so evident early in our relationship; the late night bowls of cereal, the mysteriously empty cereal boxes. When we started our marriage it all seemed so innocent. He requested that I keep his favorite cereal in the house; Frosted Mini-Wheats, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Trix, Raisin Nut Bran, et al. It seemed normal. Than I began to notice the little things. He would have cereal for breakfast sure, but then there was the afternoon snack, the bowl after dinner and then more than one bowl at a time. Suddenly I couldn’t seem to keep cereal in the house. As soon as I bought it, it was gone. I’d take the boxes out of the cupboard and they would be empty. After years of watching his addiction begin to consume his diet – I knew action needed to be taken. I stopped buying cereal. I didn’t even talk to David about my decision, I just stopped. Of course he was angry at first, but soon he realized I was resolved. There would be no cereal in our house ever again.

When did cereal become such a staple in our diet? My parents aren’t big cereal eaters. David’s parents aren’t big cereal eaters. And yet, almost every person in my generation knows somebody who suffers from this addiction. Cereal has become the universal meal; Cheerio’s for breakfast, Trix for lunch, and Wheatie’s for dinner. Our lives are landmarked by breakfast cereal. Even now, every baby has a tub with Cheerios and as we progress into adulthood we shed the cereals of our youth and embrace our “adult” brands; Fiber One, Raisin Bran, Grape Nuts. And yet, it is all cereal. Our generation is the cereal generation. We love it, we need it, it is as essential to our diet as water, milk or bread. Heck, we have dedicated an entire aisle in the grocery store to breakfast cereal. What is the fascination and desire for this most simple of foods? What is YOUR cereal addiction?