I’m a bit of a cereal freak. And now I have the only guide I’ll ever need: The Empty Bowl. In addition to recipes, reviews, and ‘The Crunch Test,’ The Empty Bowl also features cereal-related interviews with such fanatics as Dan the Automator:

And lastly, what [cereal] mascot would get kicked out of the Handsome Boy Modeling School and why?

Dan the Automator: That little honeybee because he’s just such an irritating shit.

and Mogwai:

What made you decide that you love cereal?

Dominick Aitchison: I have no idea, I’ve always loved cereal. I’ve always eaten it since I was a wee kid.

Anything exotic?

Dominick: I never really had any flavors of cereal. My mom always bought Corn Flakes and shitty things.

Martin Bulloch: Dominick’s mom used to make pasta with tomato paste.

Dominick: She’d make pizzas with tomatoes.

A friend and I were discussing cereals this afternoon and she said that she’s still looking for her favorite cereal of all time, a chocolate cereal called ‘Chocapic’ that she had every morning growing up in France. She still can’t locate a box, but here’s what The Empty Bowl had to say about it (‘Chocapic: Scary, Yet Tasty’):

Chocapic is one of those cereals I picked up from Spain. It’s made by Nestle who is listed as a partner of General Mills. This explains Nesquik Cereal is in Spain and in the states. But, why is Chocapic not in the states? Maybe it’s because we don’t consider Tiamona an essential vitamin or mineral. I mean, I know what Vitamina C is, but Tiamona? Why is this not in my multivitamin? Perhaps they know America’s anti-drug stance and Chocapic’s mascot looks whacked out of its gourd. Maybe it has to do with the soft rounded colors or the way it’s not able to get enough of the cereal down it’s throat. I mean, it had some in a bowl and some in its hands. Settle down, Rover, that cereal isn’t going anywhere! I assume this mascot was created when the graphic art department was on an OJ and LSD binge. All they need to do is put bags under the dog’s eyes and we’d have the complete stoner look. Well, let’s crack it open and try a bowl.

Admittedly, that dog does looks pretty baked. He’s definitely on the wrong side of the law, as seen in these comic strips, where he appears to blow up a factory. Perhaps he was just delusional or having some sort of episode.

Personally, I like Special K.