How brunch became the most delicious—and divisive—meal in America

How brunch became the most delicious—and divisive—meal in America - The Washington Post: "Almost 120 years ago, long before anyone waited in line to feast on eggs benedict and French toast, the word brunch appeared in print for the first time in the United States.

"The latest 'fad' is to issue invitations for a meal called 'brunch...a repast at 11 o'clock a.m.," a column in the New Oxford, an old Pennsylvania newspaper, explained in 1896.

Originally conceived for the wealthy as a drawn-out, elaborate affair, brunch, like a runny egg, soon dribbled out into the mainstream.

 By 1939, The New York Times declared Sunday a two-meal day. By the 1960s, brunch's popularity gave rise to specific cookbooks, and by the 1990s, Americans started brunching on Saturdays too.

Now, brunch has become more popular than ever.

The story of brunch is the story of changing patterns in how Americans eat, live and interact. But brunch hasn't swept the entire country just yet. When you dig into the data, you can see that brunch is far more popular in some regions of this country and among some demographics than others."



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