Did you know that there is a traditional breakfast in bed enjoyed by Miss Universe titleholders the morning after their coronation?
Pageant-centered Facebook page “Pageant Throwback Philippines” on Tuesday featured this reported tradition.
In the photos, beauty queens can be seen enjoying their meal in the comfort of their suite before they officially perform their duties.
“After the euphoria of victory of Miss Universe Finals Night or Day (depending on where it is being held) died down, the newly-crowned queen immediately buckles down to work the day after she was proclaimed as the most beautiful woman in the universe through the traditional breakfast in bed,” the page said in a post.
“It has long been a tradition since the early years of the pageant.
Press Photographers gathered (in) the Miss Universe suite to catch a glimpse and photos of the new Miss Universe as she takes her breakfast,” it added.
The oldest photo that was publicly shared features Miss Universe 1959 Akiko Kojima, the first contestant from Japan and Asia to have won the crown.
Pictures of the Philippines’ own candidate, Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz, was also shared where she was seen enjoying her breakfast and swimming on the beach with her scepter.
Pageant Throwback Philippines said that back in the beauty pageant’s “Miami Beach years” from 1960 to 1971, the traditional breakfast would be “followed by a photo session on the beach wearing her Catalina swimsuits and Miss Universe banner.”
A photo of Miss Universe 1973 Margie Moran enjoying her breakfast with her hair done was also shared on the page.
Another Facebook page, “Pageantology 101,” also shared this tradition and likewise featured photos of the queens enjoying their breakfast.
One of the ones featured was Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, who was captured sitting beside her suite window with a tray in front of her.
Pageant blog “Sashes and Scripts” in 2019 shared a piece that was reportedly written by Margie, where she detailed her moment the morning after coronation.
“I won in a spectacular flurry that to this day brings a smile to my lips. The very next morning, I had the traditional breakfast in bed while I was all made up and certainly feeling like a queen.”
“Dressed in an exquisite night gown fit for true royalty, I received my prizes while in bed. My rewards for being chosen as the most beautiful woman in the universe included a diamond and turquoise necklace, fur coat, dresses from Hanae Mori and Jones New York, and $20,000 in cash!”
The Philippines’ bet to the 69th Miss Universe is Rabiya Mateo from Iloilo City.
Reported origins
Having breakfast in bed reportedly stemmed from affluent married women in the past who had the luxury of servants in their homes.
They were allowed to enjoy their breakfast in their own room while men would start the day by eating their meals in the family room or the drawing room.
Going back further, food website MyRecipes said that the concept was first recorded in history when people started eating their breakfast in their bedchamers as the “Middle Ages waned.”
Middle Ages were a period preceding the Renaissance in the 14 century.
“What they ate was, writes Anderson, simple: a ‘posset pot’—a two-handled teapot-like thing—that was kept next to one’s bed and contained warm, spiced ale (which you’d drink through the spout) and curdled cream and eggs (which you’d eat with a spoon),” an article in the website reads, referencing the author of the book “Breakfast: A History.”
“By the 18th century, breakfast was back on a big way, especially in America, where the upper classes would enjoy ‘matutinal feasts of mutton chops, bacon, eggs, corn cakes, and muffins—even pie,” it added.
During the Victorian era, only married women were allowed to enjoy their meals in bed during breakfast.
