I got into a bit of an unintentional argument via Twitter yesterday about brunch, which is something I really have no business being nitpicky about. Brunch can do no wrong. It's like arguing about fluffy bunnies.

Said argument started over a throwaway snarky comment I made in response to a friend's brunch tweet around noonish, and soon turned into a full-on back-and-forth about when, exactly, brunch occurs.

His argument, which I concede is rational, is that the nebulous meal called "brunch" runs any time between 9ish and 2 in the afternoon. It's generally understood, nearly every restaurant that does brunch serves it at those times, and I'm not denying the fact that brunch exists, and it's at those times.

My counterpoint, which I'm making clear right now was only semi-serious, was that brunch is more of a mid-to-late-morning meal for people who miss the generally accepted "breakfast time." So, 9:30ish through 11 a.m.

Right around here was where things went from me just being a trolling devil's advocate to me inadvertently starting some kind of uncomfortably serious business. Another friend jumped in to defend my point with the Dictionary.com definition: "a meal eaten late in the morning, combining breakfast with lunch." Things escalated to whether eating breakfast food at noon is considered brunch or just eating breakfast food for lunch, and I started seriously regretting my attempt to be a smartass in 140 characters or less.

Obviously there are things that make brunch a special, "know it when you see it" kind of meal. Mimosas, for example, or bloody marys, are practically mascots for the weekend brunch. Many restaurants have tailored brunch menus, too, and who am I to deprive diners of a few extra magic hours of brunchy indulgence in favor of my petty semantics?

In the spirit of keeping things light, I feel it's only fair to let brunch have its air of delicious mystery, and I'll cement that with a quote from "The Simpsons"' French lothario, Jacques:

"It's not quite breakfast, it's not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end. You don't get completely what you would at breakfast, but you get a good meal."

And if you have an opinion one way or the other, feel free to throw it in the ring via Talkbacks or Twitter.