I'm on holiday at the moment—I do love a bit of sun and warmth in January—and my interactions with the breakfast buffet each morning have been intriguing me.

I'm writing as "you", but this is very much autobiographical. Maybe you have more self-restraint than I.

Day one, if you're anything like me, you go mad and have far too much of pretty much everything. It's as if you're never going to get a chance to eat again. Maybe that is just me. Maybe that's why I weighed over 100kg until recently.

Day two is the day for having everything you didn't have on day one. A less pleasant breakfast that leaves you feeling just as full and bloated.

Then you begin to realise there is an abundance of food every morning and you don't have to eat as much as possible. There will be more tomorrow. And so you begin to refine your choices... which items actually bring me pleasure? How can I get the most enjoyment from a limited quantity of food? (I've actually been working on getting maximum nutrition from my food lately, but on holiday that all goes out of the window... I'm not sure why).

Yesterday (day five) was close to perfection.

But this morning... that was it. I had a single plate with the perfect, and instead of going back up for more I realised that nothing could be added to make it any better. It was the pinnacle of breakfast.

So what was this magic item?

A warm, fresh, crusty baguette, halved (the remaining half left for someone else), and split down the middle. Then slathered with delicious thick butter. Four slices of bacon laid on the bottom part. And ketchup (purloined from last night's dinner venue) added in just the right quantity along the top of the bacon. Top replaced and summarily chomped on.

I find it beautiful that such a simple thing can bring so much pleasure. And it's even better when it has been slowly refined over several days, bringing a sense of achievement along with the sensual delight.

I have to get back to my gluten-free diet—for auto-immune-based health reasons, not just a fad—tomorrow, so this really was the pinnacle of breakfast hedonism.