Brinner is always a winner

October 26, 2023 by
 |  6 Comments  |  Leave Comment

Somehow I missed the fact that breakfast for dinner has been going by the name “brinner” since about 2014, when an article by Kathleen Purvis about the trend was picked up by a slew of regional newspapers across the US. The thought was that brinner would overtake brunch in popularity, both at homes and in restaurants. I do not believe this came to pass, and while brunch can be found in Webster’s Dictionary, brinner hasn’t made it in there yet.

That’s too bad, because at our house, brinner is always a winner. Even on those days when I can’t muster the moxie to boil dried pasta and heat up a jar of sauce, I can find the energy to fry bacon, crack an egg, and pop bread into the toaster. Even though this is ostensibly more work than the spaghetti dinner, it does not feel like it. And if I have a tad more left in me, I will shred a potato, adding golden hash browns to the menu.

The appeal of breakfast for dinner is broader than the novelty of rearranging the meal order – I rarely, if ever, think that beef stew or chicken soup is just the thing for breakfast. A more likely explanation is that traditional breakfast foods are delicious and easy to prepare, making the choice a no-brainer, especially on those days when one’s brain is on the verge of revolt. Breakfast is often the first thing someone learns how to cook, so it makes sense that it becomes a fallback option when nothing else seems doable. Whether “brinner” ever catches on is debatable, but the concept is no danger of fading away.

Category: Antipasto

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6 Comments

  • FuzzyChef  on  October 26, 2023

    I’ll eat breakfast for dinner, but I am never using that word.

  • Rinshin  on  October 26, 2023

    No, we do not eat breakfast type for dinner at home with the exception of homemade corn beef hash and eggs. Strangely though when traveling in the US, we do sometimes esp when eating later than 20:00. Seems lighter than some dinner items.

  • sayeater  on  November 2, 2023

    I agree with FuzzyChef!

  • robinswood  on  November 3, 2023

    My husband hates breakfast for dinner so whenever he is out of town, the kids and I have it. It is always their first choice. I do not necessarily find it faster than making regular dinner – Dutch Baby is the easiest, and waffles and regular pancakes can take close to an hour to make enough for dinner for everyone.

    And I too agree with FuzzyChef. Brinner just is not going to gain any traction!

  • bittrette  on  November 15, 2023

    What makes brunch a meal is not so much that it combines foods from breakfast and lunch, but that it occupies a continuous expanse of time. In that regard, brinner doesn’t qualify as a meal. Serving the customary foods of one meal at another meal is just that – eggs for supper, last night’s leftovers for breakfast.
    But if brinner really is a thing, what is it when you have it at Christmas – Yule brinner?

  • bittrette  on  November 24, 2023

    Brunch is social, at least. But something you shove in your mouth because you’re both hungry and sleepy, and you want something halfway nutritious, isn’t a meal.

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