Waffles or Pancakes?
Although it is not a pressing issue, the dilemma concerning whether the waffle or the pancake is the superior breakfast food is one that has divided breakfast tables nationwide and sparked an age-old debate amongst breakfast eaters everywhere. I, being a regular at the breakfast table, am very opinionated on this topic, but when I am asked why the waffle is the superior breakfast food, I find myself talking in circles, claiming it to be the best “simply because it is”. This, of course, is nowhere near a good answer, so I decided to borrow a technique from utilitarianism called hedonistic calculus, which is used to solve ethical dilemmas. This technique involves assigning point values to every component and finding the “score” each possibility will receive. I decided to break it down into components of taste, texture, functionality, and cost. Taste, being the most important, is assigned 3 points, followed by texture, functionality, and cost which are each assigned 2 points. I assigned taste a higher point value because I feel it should truly be the deciding factor. However, the other aforementioned qualities still play a key role in deciding which breakfast choice is preferred. In this case, it is set up as a winner-take-all system. So if the waffle is better in the taste category, it receives all 3 points. Assuming that taste in our case is defined as the quality of the flavor one perceives by taking a little into the mouth, we can deduce that the outcome will be dependent on the preferences of the individual tasting said food. My personal observation is that the waffle has more of a toasted taste as opposed to the pancake's creamy taste experience. The toasted taste is one that is more favorable to me, therefore the waffle wins all 3 points in that criterion. Closely related to the taste category is the texture. As stated above, waffles are generally more toasted thus creating a crisper texture, whereas the pancake provides a more doughy consistency. While