To the editor:
I grew up on bacon and egg breakfasts. You know the type of breakfast I am talking about, bacon fried in a cast iron skillet, fat drained away then the eggs tossed in and cooked with the hash browns and toast and served with a cup of strong coffee and lots of orange juice.
Breakfast in China is different. They do eat breakfast here. And the variety of foods that go into the breakfast menu can be quite daunting. Rice porridge is quite popular. Not quite as thick as its oatmeal cousin but still has a stick to the ribs quality to it.
Chinese love eggs. And from a nutrition point of view, there is nothing more nourishing and expedient than an egg. When I tell my students about breakfast in America they are intrigued by the variety of ways that eggs are prepared for the breakfast table. None of them have been to a short order diner so terms like, eggs over-easy, scrambled with the whites, soft-boiled, Benedict, sunny side up, and fried are new to their ears. And for a few I have shown them the variety of egg dishes. It’s always fun when the teacher brings the cooking gear to class! Those who remember the late John Logan and his Picker’s Special will no doubt laugh at the thought of me in the kitchen.
The other day I set out to buy eggs. Chinese consumers are very picky about the food that they buy. Eggs are no exception. If you go into one of the more modern grocery stores you will find eggs that have been processed like those that we find in all the stores back home, washed, sized, and in a carton. But most of the time eggs are loose.
That’s right, they are loose! You will go into a store and there will be a crate of eggs fresh from the farm. You can pick through them at your leisure. These are rarely washed or candled. And you are apt to find eggs of all sorts: duck, pigeon, chicken, dove and goose, are the predominant varieties. Unlike the thin-shelled varieties at home, these eggs are tough. They have to be.
As I said, I was on a mission to buy eggs. I will save the description of a Chinese grocery store for later. But it is easy enough to say that it is crowded. Where our stores would have two aisles there are five in a Chinese store. I went to the egg section and found a carton of relatively fresh eggs. While waiting to get to the checkout line (remember I said it was crowded) I was able to watch as my neighbors got their own eggs.
One lady was eagerly sorting through the eggs. Each one she selected was a major prize. She placed them in her basket one by one until she had about 10 or 12. I followed her through the checkout. Here it gets a bit squeamish, those who have heart problems may wish to stop reading.
The dear lady, obviously someone’s grandmother, had her prize! As the checkout girl counted the eggs she placed each into the standard plastic bag. No cushioning. Click, beep, and the register kept track. The woman paid for them and lifted the plastic bag. Have you noticed how the items in one of these plastic grocery bags shift and move as you pull on the handles of the bag? With a single motion, the woman had tied a knot in the top of the bag. I paid for my eggs in the carton and carefully put them into my backpack wrapped up in a similar bag and at the top of the other groceries I had.
I followed the woman out of the store. She held her prize in front of her and walked through the jostling crowd. I watched the eggs. She got to the bus stop and we both had to get on the bus. It was the rush hour and the bus was crowded. If they can close the door of the bus you can get on. This was one of those moments.
Now, those of you who have gone to the store and bought eggs know that if you do not take care there is a moment when you hear the sound of an eggshell cracking from pressure. While chickens do come from eggs, they are usually in a more solid form. When you hear that sound and you know that the egg has just come from the chicken certain sanguine thoughts come to mind. You become well aware of the yolk factor in the lifetime of a chicken!
As we got on the bus, the dear lady managed to keep her eggs in the sack and in one piece. It was a long bus ride. All buses are of the standard shift variety. We had a driver who was struggling to find first gear. I do not know if he had any more than that. I did know that he had a very good clutch. When it was let out you could feel the kick of the engine. The bus would lurch forward and then jerk to avoid the fat man on the bicycle. He was moving very slowly. Jerk and lurch! The eggs were having a grand time. They were in a clear view sack that was like a swing. Back and forth, bump and thump. Disney could not design a better thrill ride. Finally the bus came to a stop and I, the lady with the eggs, and others got off. I went home amazed. Opening the backpack, I found one egg slightly cracked. I think the next time I go to buy eggs I will put them in a sack. I might have better luck.
Orpheus Allison
orpheusallison@mac.com
