This Foodie Instagram Redefines #BreakfastGoals

Instagram is inundated with pictures of delicious food, but one tasty feed sets itself apart by focussing solely on the “most important meal of the day.” The Symmetry Breakfast Instagram account, started back in 2013 by couple Michael Zee and Mark Van Beek, has since amassed nearly 500,000 followers and continues to grow. Around 7:30 each morning, a drool-inducing photo of two hearty, and perfectly symmetrical breakfasts laid side-by-side is posted. These pics are utter torture to those who count a to-go coffee as a complete balanced breakfast.

When most of us are barely able to stuff a piece of toast in our mouths or blearily peel the foil off a yogurt each morning, it is extremely difficult to scroll through this foodie Instagram without dying of hunger and abject jealousy. Most mornings, making a hearty breakfast can seem like a superhuman feat. To me, the task of making french toast before 9 a.m. is equivalent to being asked to run a marathon before heading into the office. Surely, the pics from SymmetryBreakfast must be taken by a professional chef, right? But surprisingly, the couple behind these cute photos had no culinary expertise before starting this Insta-experiment. It all began when Zee, an educational officer at a museum, and Van Beek, a menswear designer, moved in together in a flat in Hackney, London. They began shopping for a dining room table, making their house into a home. One morning, Zee made breakfast for Van Beek, noticed that the plates were perfectly symmetrical, took a photo and posted it to social media.

Zee explained to the Washington Post, “I’ve always been a confident cook at home (my father was a chef), and one day I made Mark breakfast and that’s about it!” Zee’s posts gained popularity, and his Insta-followers grew. In September of 2013, Zee started the dedicated account SymmetryBreakfast, and after a month he was up to 200 followers and growing exponentially — the dining room table now an elegant backdrop for his culinary creations.

In terms of division of labor, Zee does the cooking and Van Beek enjoys the eating. But Zee insists that both roles are intrinsic to the project's success. And over the years, the complexity of the breakfast has grown. Today the porridge is buckwheat and is graced with edible flowers and fanned avocado, where just two years before, sliced bananas and a few grapes used to stand. Zee also experiments with International breakfast recipes, making everything from Chinese steamed buns to flaky Turkish Börek, as well as the traditional favorites such as Eggs Benedict or an English fry-up. So just how is he able to whip up complex recipes, and post enviable pics with detailed descriptions, all before 8 a.m.? Zee told The Guardian, “I get up really, really early... If something takes more than 30 minutes to make, such as a sourdough, I do it the night before."

While tableware design deals and Insta-fame is on the horizon, Zee says the essence of the Instagram is really a show of love for his boyfriend, as the sweet tagline suggests, "for my boyfriend and me 👬 ." Talking to The Guardian, Zee elaborated further, “People wonder if I’m crazy or obsessive... but it is a declaration of love, really. I’m dedicated — both to breakfast and to Mark.”

Images: SymmetryBreakfast/Instagram