Morton Mornings

Saturday mornings for the average college student may involve
sleeping in, lying around in pajamas, or even feeling a little hung
over; but at my house we do things a little bit differently. The
morning starts at 9 a.m. Roommates wake up to the loud roar of the coffee bean grinder. Soon after, you can hear the drips and gurgles of the coffee maker as the strong smell of freshly roasted coffee fills the house. Just a few minutes later, all five roommates are downstairs in pajamas adding milk and Splenda to mismatched coffee cups while still trying to wake up.

As the foodie of the house, I typically make our Saturday breakfast spread. Although using an electric stove is not ideal, I push through and fry bacon in a skillet. The crackling pop of the bacon and perfume of grease that has sprayed onto the white acrylic stovetop makes our mouths water. While the bacon sizzles away, I start to mix up pancakes in the white KitchenAid mixer. The batter swirls and thickens as I heat the pancake griddle on the faux-marble countertop. As I wait for the lumps to disappear, I search through our crowded and unorganized refrigerator in search of eggs, milk, and cheese. I have a roommate help whisk the ingredients together and melt butter in a sauté pan on one of the other electric burners. Simultaneously I complete the meal, crisping the bacon, flipping pancakes, and scrambling the eggs to fluffy perfection.

Now that everyone is on their second cup of coffee, we sit on teal painted stools at the counter looking into the kitchen. We eat off brightly colored plates while observing the mess of pots and pans that have piled in our metal sink. We notice the brown patterned rug needs vacuuming, the cold gray tile needs mopping, and the colorful to-do list on a blackboard painted wall seems infinite. But until we start our chores, we will enjoy breakfast and our unique Saturday tradition
in our typical college kitchen.