The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: September nineteenth, asking, "What's for breakfast?"

As the world shrinks, its major ethnic cuisines have become internationalized. In most big cities these days, you can lunch on Italian or Indian food and have Japanese, Mexican, or French for dinner. Conversely, if you're somewhere exotic and get a craving for steak and fried potatoes, your dining desires can usually be met.

But travelers tend to be much less adventurous with the day's first meal. Even in these cholesterol-conscious times, it's surprising how many American travelers want to start the day with bacon, eggs, toast and coffee. In major cities around the world, that's known as an American breakfast. Of course, the price of that simple fare varies dramatically, and can cost $50 in fancy hotels in Paris or Tokyo.

But experienced travelers know that breakfast has many other translations. For example, a Continental Breakfast. In France and Italy, that's a small glass of juice, bit of bread or croissant, and a cup of coffee. Northern Europeans tend to breakfast with more gusto. In addition to the coffee, expect to find soft-boiled eggs, bacon, sausage, or ham, along with hearty brown bread or crisp rolls.

An English Breakfast may include sugared tea along with smoked or kippered fish. The Chinese are happy if served a dish of litchi nuts with their morning tea, while in Japan, people like to start their day with raw fish, pickles, miso soup or rice gruel.

That may be hard to face first thing in the morning, but so are the half- cooked eggs, lumpy bacon fat, and cold white toast so often presented as an American Breakfast in the Orient.

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