Monster Mash (50th Anniversary)

Name: Monster Mash
Variation: Monster Cereals
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I was super excited when I found this cereal celebrating the 50th anniversary of Monster Cereals. It not only combines the three enduring varieties - Count Chocula (although I don't think there are any chocolate pieces in this), Boo Berry, and Franken Berry, but also the less common Fruity Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute. That's why I was disappointed when, upon trying it, I realized that the concept of combining these cereals is better than its execution. Frankly, there's just too much going on in this cereal, and it doesn't have a real cohesive flavor.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Plain...

I liked the concept so much, though, that I actually tried it myself, by combining separate boxes of Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Franken Berry in one bowl. But the result wasn't much better. In this case, the chocolate and the fruit flavors clashed (which is interesting, because it's not as though chocolate and fruity can't go well together).

So I think I'll just stick to my good old friend, Count Chocula, from now on. It doesn't get any better than chocolate and marshmallows. But you can't say I wasn't brave enough to take on the monsters all at once!

Halloween Crunch

Name: Halloween Crunch
Variation: Cap'n Crunch
Manufacturer: Quaker Oats

Review: Tastes basically like Cap'n Crunch (with Crunch Berries - despite the lack of bright colors), which isn't a bad thing. Plus, the effect of turning the milk green is a lot of fun. It's one of my favorite cereals to have around Halloween.

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Sugary sweet!

Introduction

Like a lot of people, I ate cereal as a kid. Then I had an experience with spoilt milk that completely traumatized me. Fast forward to adulthood, and I began to realize that I missed eating cereal. Having more control over the milk in my house*, I figured it would be safe to try eating cereal again. And I've completely fallen in love with it.

*Milk etiquette:
1. Always buy milk with the furthest sell by date.
2. Buy less milk more frequently, so it's constantly being refreshed.
3. The container shall never leave the fridge for more than sixty seconds.

Now, I'm not a breakfast person (or a morning person in general, for that matter). Although I do like breakfast foods - bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc. - I don't usually like to consume them in the morning, as I do not have a very big appetite early in the day. (And despite what nutritionists tell you about breakfast being the most important meal of the day, I'm pretty healthy, and can go to surprising lengths of time and physical exertion before breaking my fast when pressed).

So, not only do I enjoy eating cereal, but it's a simple and reliable snack (with minimal effort cooking or cleaning) to tide me over until lunch time. It's my go-to breakfast every morning of every day; only rarely do I substitute a bigger breakfast (usually when I'm travelling with companions who have bigger appetites in the morning), and when I do, I always find myself missing my daily bowl. Sometimes I'll even go to bed at night looking forward to the cereal I'll be having in the morning.

Despite being able to go through a Family Size box of cereal in about a week all by myself, I still manage to buy them faster than I can eat them, and my weakness for trying out limited edition novelty flavors has resulted in stacks of unopened boxes collecting on the top of my fridge (drawing snide remarks from family).

Nevertheless, this has inspired me (along with distant memories of cereals I enjoyed as a kid that you can't get anymore) to start documenting some of the more unique flavors I've come across. My favorite cereals cover some of the basics - staples such as Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Cocoa Puffs, among others. But I want to put special emphasis on the flavors you may not know about, the new and limited edition varieties that weren't on the shelves yesterday, and may not be there tomorrow.

Welcome to my Cereal Experiments. Close the box; open the next.