If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then everyone should start their morning with a hearty scroll through the Instagram account of Symmetry Breakfast.
It’s one thing to document your “serious breakfast inspiration”, as Jamie Oliver so neatly put it, onto Instagram – but to do so in such a beautifully curated and clever way is another level of modern art altogether. Michael Zee posts photographs of the breakfasts made for himself and partner Mark each morning in perfect symmetry – in case you’ve never heard of the account before.
We’re not talking bowls of cheerios and Warburtons’s half-and-half, mind. We’re talking about the very best breakfasts from across the globe. Think American pancakes with thick cut bacon, maple syrup, a wedge of orange; think Palestinian za’atar, dried mint and sweet paprika with walnut sourdough toast; think Parmesan Dutch Puff with roasted heritage tomatoes, basil and plenty of black pepper; think Shanghai’s Pork wontons in a delicious soup with crispy youtiao.
But it wasn’t always this way, “growing up I remember eating a lot of Weetabix, but after I went to university breakfast became coffee and hand rolled cigarettes”, says Michael. Growing up on a council estate in Runcorn, Cheshire during the 90s, Michael was more accustomed to a full English breakfast straight out of a tin rather than the current foodie glamour of East London where he currently lives.
Although mealtimes throughout the years have transformed dramatically for Michael, one thing that’s for sure is that he’s always loved to eat. “It’s been a part of my family life long before I was born. My grandfather emigrated from Shanghai to Liverpool during the Second World War and it wasn’t long before he opened his own restaurants where I spent a lot of my childhood.”
Fast-forward to the age of Instagram and social media, and Michael has amassed an incredible 650k-strong Instagram following of hungry fans. I wonder how it all began, and he tells me that “it started out of necessity”. He and Mark had just moved in together and it was only a few weeks until he realised that he was pretty much always in the office, even at weekends. “Breakfast was pretty much the only time we had together, so I started to make the effort to make it more special.”
Did Michael expect the account to be as successful as it is today? “Not at all.” He certainly didn’t have any ambitions for Symmetry Breakfast other than it being a bit of fun. “However, when it did take off I remember suddenly having this thing in my hand that everyone was looking at and talking about and decided to run with it.”
It isn’t all plain sailing though – those beautifully, symmetrical shots don’t take themselves. Michael says that the difficulty in setting up for the perfect Insty post really depends on what he’s cooking that day. “Sometimes it’s an artfully placed pastry from the local bakery but other times I’ll spend a day making the pastry!” One thing he has noticed, interestingly, is that some cultures seem “extremely lazy” in how much time and energy they put into the first meal of the day and others see no problem getting up at 4am everyday to prepare something.
Asking Michael if he ever feels pressure to produce something impressive everyday for each Instagram post, he says: “Sometimes I do get stumped but other days its pretty easy. Inspiration comes from many different sources but the world is a big place. I don’t seem to be running out of material just yet.”
Part of the reason for the attraction behind the Symmetry Breakfast account is with due thanks to Michael’s impressive pottery collection, which you’ll get to see more of if you check out his Instagram stories. “I’ve been collecting for over 3 years now. The inspiration came from my previous job at the V&A that has the largest collection of ceramics in the world.” Some of his favourites are from Stine Dulong.
Although Symmetry Breakfast is a relatively recent success, Michael already has his first book out, aptly titled SymmetryBreakfast: Cook-Love-Share. Michael says: “The first thing you’ll find are recipes, something I’d never published before but more importantly I’ve talked about the inspiration, travels and stories behind the recipes. The book is part instruction manual but also anthropological study of food and culture.”
Michael seems to have the wealth of the world at his feet and laid out on his breakfast table. Symmetry Breakfast is now thriving, which begs a certain curiosity for where it will be in the future. “It’s something I’ve always thought about. Will it evolve into something else? Will it end? Will it expand?” However, these angsty, existential questions are made quickly redundant when Michael concludes by saying, “I suppose as long as it makes both Mark and I happy then I’m more than willing to carry on learning and trying new things.”