Brunch isn't for everybody. The Type A personality might bridle at the prospect of noontime lollygagging. The calorie-counter might object to the Hollandaise-drenched excess of the dishes. Teetotalers question why anybody would have a drink at all, let alone at the very moment it's legal to serve one.

But for those interested in liberating their spirits, it all makes sense. As they say in Russia: "Drink in the morning and you're free for the rest of the day."

By Michael Jackman