National Cereal Day: an ode to my midnight best friend

Graphic by Annie Liu

While March 7 may seem like a normal day, it holds a deeper meaning in my heart: It is the ever cherished National Cereal Day. This day is dedicated to my favorite nighttime snack, the one keeping me awake through all my desperate homework grinds, the epitome of American food: cereal.  

A typical evening with my midnight friend follows this: It’s 1 a.m., and I’m deep into my homework grind with messy papers and textbooks sprawling over every inch of my desk. I’m usually halfway through my set of APUSH notes before my groaning stomach reminds me I am extremely hungry. 

 So, I emerge from my brightly lit room into my dark house, carefully turning on a light so I don’t wake my parents. I begin my nightly rummage through my pantry and fridge for food, a behavior that resembles something more like a racoon than a human.

My creative, late-night snackings usually range from some simple crackers to suddenly craving cookies and baking cookies from scratch at 2 a.m. 

Despite how many other midnight snacks I’ve tried, I always go back to the good old classic, honey bunches of oats cereal. You can’t go wrong with it. It is truly an extremely underrated midnight snack, as personally, I never understood why it was always regarded as a breakfast food.

I mean, who wants to eat a bowl full of cold milk in the morning? When you’re still shivering from the morning cold, cereal just makes you even colder, and as the cold milk settles into your stomach, you’re just uncomfortable for the rest of the day. I am a firm advocate that you should always eat something warm in the morning. 

However, the depths of the night is truly the prime time for this snack to shine. The cold milk, sweetened by the crispy flakes of cereal, is a perfect combination of milky goodness and crunchy sweetness to satisfy the midnight cravings. 

Cereal also simply presents so many options. My favorite cereal brand is honey bunches, but other close runner ups include the chocolate frosted flakes, which I always soak in the milk until I have made myself a big bowl of chocolate milk, and classic cheerios. There are tons of different textures and different flavors for every taste bud.

As an underrated topping for cereal, a handful of raisins bring a chewy surprise among the milky sweetness of the cereal. Additionally, it’s an unspoken rule to never do homework while you eat, so I always pull up something interesting to watch or read as I eat my cereal. Not only does it give my taste bud a treat, it also gives my brain a little mindful break. 

Cereal is the undisputed best midnight snack, not too filling, crunchy and the perfect amount of sweetness to satisfy a craving but not overwhelm you.