A lazy weekend morning with no plans can quickly become something of a terrible time. I figure I am not alone in getting endlessly excited for the weekends, only to occasionally find myself with a day or two of nothing to do and no plans, leading my excitement to turn into a frustrating boredom. I am likely also not alone in being a lover of breakfast foods, social events, and sleeping in. There are always a variety of ways to make the most of the weekends, and with a large late morning meal surrounded by friends or family, brunch serves as one of my particular favorites. According to “The Birth of Brunch: Where Did This Meal Come From Anyway?” by Jesse Rhodes, brunch has its origins in 19th century England, beginning as a post-church celebration. Brunch then proceeded to reach popularity in the United States in the 1930s, perpetuated by increased church attendees instigated by World War II that were on the hunt for an after church late morning meal.

So how common is brunch attendance among students at Issaquah High School? Senior Allen Aby expressed love for brunch, saying, “Of course I love it. Who doesn’t love brunch? It’s such a versatile option for whenever you didn’t have time for breakfast, or you just can’t hold on ‘til lunch.” Junior Megan Spataro agreed, saying she likes brunch because “it is delicious, it is fun, you and get to go out with your friends.” They were, however, not so enthusiastic about the idea of ‘linner’ which is a mixture of lunch and dinner. Freshman Anna Jacobson claimed, “‘linner’ is not a real thing.”

As someone who typically goes to the same Seattle restaurant for brunch, my favorite place being Oddfellows cafe, which I would highly recommend, I was curious what other spots my peers would recommend that offer different types of food or a shorter commute. Junior Joshua Sun recommended Nate’s Chicken and Waffles and sophomore Hannah Kelly said, “I like to go anywhere in Seattle; the market is nice because you can stop at a lot of different shops and get a variety of things. I also like Issaquah Cafe, that place is really good.” Sophomore Warren Singer claimed iHop as his personal favorite, and Aby, who possesses a love for omelettes, said that he likes iHop as well: “Oh god, I always love iHop, or The Egg and Us. I really like my egg based foods, they make me strong from the protein. I order omelettes at iHop though, so I don’t know what that says about my choices.”

For the hardcore brunch lover, food and drink opinions can be rather controversial when it comes to their favorite mid-morning meal. My main focus was on whether a buffet or ordering one thing is preferred by most students, and how they would rank the three most common carbohydrate based dishes: pancakes, waffles, and french toast. I personally would rather order one thing, and love waffles. Senior Shayna Wagner offered some valuable innovative ideas in regards to a buffet versus ordering one item. She would rather compromise, and “order one dish, but you all share dishes together with your friends.” Most students told me that they prefer just having one dish, such as Jacobson, who said, “I like ordering one thing because buffets usually get out of hand.”

In regards to ranking pancakes, waffles, and french toast, the race was close, with pancakes taking the lead for most popular by a small margin. Many said their answer regularly changes, such as junior Joshua Sun who expressed, “I think it kinda varies by the day, but if I had to do it right now, french toast, pancakes and then waffles.” Beverage choices varied drastically student to student, some preferring to stick with just water, while many Issaquah students said they like to have hot chocolate or even a milkshake. Aby brought up the understandable advisory against particular types of juice, saying, “juice might not be the best idea. If you brushed your teeth you don’t want to mess with orange juice.”

Finally, I wanted to know what students would think is the best day and time to get brunch. Surprisingly, several of those interviewed claimed that they would not be a fan of getting brunch on a Wednesday morning before school. Wagner did not think Wednesday mornings started late enough for the morning meal before school to be considered a brunch, and others simply preferred to sleep in over going out for food. However, they said if they were to go out, Issaquah Cafe, Issaquah Coffee Company, or The Egg and Us provided good options right around our school. Time wise, the general agreement for the right brunch hour was anywhere from 10 to 11:30 in the morning on a Saturday or Sunday, or if possible, the occasional day off from school.

For all of those interviewed, a few opinions were consistently the same, such as the view that breakfast foods were much more important than lunch foods in a brunch, brunch never has to be healthy if one does not want it to be, and that it is certainly not overrated. When students go searching for a restaurant to host a relaxing late morning meal surrounded by friends and family, having some sort of “wow factor” is certainly important to impress your companions and intrigue them to continue brunching in the future. All interviewees agreed that to achieve an impressive brunch, ambiance and a variety of options is incredibly important to create a positive experience.

Next time those at Issaquah High School find themselves with too much free time on the weekends or a day off from school on a weekday, leaving them bored, brunch provides a simple, social or possibly antisocial activity that offers various price points. They can follow the recommendations and opinions of their peers to create a fun activity for a date, or delicious event surrounded by friends and family. I know I will certainly be taking part in more brunch milkshakes as the year progresses.