Golden Harvest

Growing up, it was all my mom could do to get me to eat breakfast before school. I was not into eating cereal or oatmeal or toast at 6:30 in the morning, so in middle school my mom and I finally settled on Carnation Instant Breakfast as a compromise. When I joined the rowing team as a college freshman, I quickly became a breakfast fan. Our team would take over a section of one of the dorm's cafeterias and pile our trays full with omelettes, bagels, fruit and smoothies while talking loudly about boat lineups, upcoming regattas, and crew gossip. In hindsight, I'm sure we looked like a crazy cult to the "normal students" who had just stumbled out of bed in search of coffee to get them through their 8ams.

What was I thinking??

Entering the "real world" has put an end to such elaborate breakfasts during the week, however it has made me appreciate and look forward to breakfast and brunch on the weekend that much more. Last weekend, my friend Kate and I decided to try Golden Harvest, a popular local breakfast joint in Lansing's Old Town. We were both Golden Harvest newbies, but thankfully friends who had been there before advised us to get there early, as the line gets long quickly. We got there over half an hour before the restaurant opened, and we still weren't the first ones in line! But thankfully close enough to the front to ensure that we got a table when the door opened a few minutes after 8.

We were greeted with dubstep music and steaming hot coffee the minute we walked inside. There are only a half a dozen tables in the restaurant, so smaller parties, like Kate and I, are asked to share a table. And by asked, I mean told. Golden Harvest is unapologetic about their rules and their vibe, which was one of the reasons I liked it so much. The place screams eclectic, from the building's exterior to the decor on the walls to the food served. In order to maximize our first Golden Harvest experience, Kate and I decided to order two dishes to share. We settled on two of their daily specials: Stella's raspberry pancakes/waffles and a BLT omelette. They did not disappoint, and were both well worth getting up at 6am on a Sunday. I'm sure we'll be back again soon.