Life
The 6 Weirdest Things Americans Do With Cereal
Like baseball or Jazz or stalking Taylor Swift's Instagram, eating a ton of cereal is an all-important part of an American lifestyle. From its humble porridge-related origins, the United States cereal manufacturing industry currently grosses about $11 billion dollars every year. With a whopping 92 percent of American households reported buying cereal in the past year, it's clearly a pretty universal concept.
We can all relate to our parents buying us Honey Nut Cheerios when we really wanted Lucky Charms, or knowing all of the cereal commercials' slogans by heart ("Silly rabbit!"). Even as adults, we buy cereal on a regular basis because it fulfills a certain nostalgic corner of our hearts. Since we're all popping open a box of some combination of sugar and wheat on such a regular basis, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that Americans have developed some pretty weird habits when it comes to cereal.
Kellogg, the largest cereal manufacturer in the U.S., recently commissioned a survey to find out about all the different (and sometimes quite bizarre) ways the general population takes their Sugar Smacks. The results were a mix of silly, gross, and — when you think about how many Fruit Loops you've found in your pockets — not all that surprising.
Here's just a taste of what Kellogg found out:
1. Not Everyone Uses Milk
If you thought using orange juice in your cereal was an urban legend or just something that Bart Simpson did one time, it turns out you've been missing out. More than 10 percent of Americans admitted to using orange juice or coffee (!) instead of the more obvious milk. Personally, I've never tried this combo before and now I am very, very tempted...
2. I ♥ Tony
Since so many cereals are marketed to children, cartoon mascots are a key element of advertising. When asked to choose their favorite mascot, most Americans chose Tony the Tiger, aka the feline face of Frosted Flakes. Good choice, Americans. Toucan Sam and the Trix Rabbit both just need to chill.
3. It's A Favorite Movie Snack
More than 25 percent of those surveyed said they help themselves to a bowl of cereal while watching movies or TV at home. Hey, that popcorn maker is hard to use, alright?!
4. B.L.T.C: Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato... Cereal?
The Breakfast Club lives on! Almost 40 percent of college students reported they used cereal as a sandwich ingredient. If the thought of this makes you gag, check out these suggested cereal and sandwich combos. Corn flakes and peanut butter actually sounds wildly good.
5. Cereal Is Like Glitter... It Never Goes Away
Almost 33 percent of those surveyed reported finding cereal bits in their computer keyboard. Forty percent have found it in a pocket, and 70 percent said they've found it in their bed ("Workin' on my night Trix!"). Oh, and those who said they had never found cereal anywhere that wasn't a cereal box? Well, they're definitely lying.
6. Kids Are Eating Cereal Out Of What?
Over 50 percent of the students in the survey admitted to eating cereal out of a Solo Cup. It makes sense: they are convenient and disposable — everything an 18-year-old needs! Let's just hope they weren't using Patron instead of milk (or orange juice).
