Religion. Politics. The proper ratio of cereal to milk. All these are topics of conversation you may want to stear clear of if you want to avoid starting wars among your peers. These topics are often left undiscussed due to the vast number of differing opinions on the subject matters. It is easier to leave it unsaid than to lose a friend forever. 

The correct cereal to milk bowl ratio is a heavily debated topic that everyone has their own opinion on. No one cares about burger to condiment ratios, or frosting to cupcake ratios, but cereal and milk gets people heated. The proper proportions of cereal and milk is the difference between a great morning, and an awful day. 

There are those who prefer more cereal to milk in their bowl so that the cereal retains its texture and flavor more efficiently, and you get more cereal. There are those who prefer more milk so that you are guaranteed enough milk both to drink at the end, and to have every spoonful of cereal. Then there are those unspoken maniacs out there who pour the milk before their cereal and I’m not even going to discuss them because they desecrate laws of breakfast and are not up for discussion. 

With all the different preferences and ways of conducting breakfast in the cereal community, the question must be asked: is there a “correct” bowl of cereal? If so, how does one achieve this? Allow me to share with you my personal method. 

Chris’s Guide to a Perfect Bowl of Cereal: Step by Step 

1. Retrieve all necessary items: equip yourself with a jug of your preferred milk, a properly shaped bowl that is efficient for cereal consumption, your morning’s choice of cereal, a napkin (for cleanliness), a spoon large enough to ensure proper cereal-to-mouth transportation, and your cup of morning coffee. 

1. Turn on morning cartoons 

1. Cereal pouring: open your box of cereal and carefully pour it into the bowl until the bowl is half-way full of cereal. If you accidentally pour more than half, feel free to pour some back into the box. 

1. Analyze: examine the bowl of cereal and ensure that it isn’t too full, but you still have a satisfying amount of cereal. 

1. Milk pouring: carefully pour milk over cereal in one spot until the desired amount of milk is achieved. Pouring the milk in one spot of the cereal ensures that some cereal gets wet, but not all of it, preventing a soggy bowl of cereal. As you eat, scoop from the bottom and already damp part of the cereal so that as you progress, the still dry cereal moves down, and you don’t get as much sogginess. 

1. Enjoy 

I personally pour quite a bit of milk into my bowl so that my cereal floats but isn’t totally submerged. I do this so that every spoonful gets a decent amount of milk, there is enough milk leftover to drink, and so that I’m not left with an overly dry bowl of cereal. Speaking from experience, pouring too much cereal and not enough milk is just as bad as eating a bowl of milk with a spoon, and scoring a piece of cereal occasionally. 

Maniacs will pour a heaping bowl of cereal and drench the entire bowl’s contents in milk, overflowing the bowl and destroying any cereal joy you may have had. This is a consequence of not premeditating portion choice. Heathens will use water to wet their cereal. I’ve provided you with my interpretation and personal method for a correct, properly portioned bowl of cereal. Do with this information what you will, and enjoy a delicious, perfect bowl of cereal!