The Egg and I

Before I begin this eggciting post, a nod to "you know who" with many thanks for your too generous words.....and yes, I really did grow up in the 60's.

Ok...back to the topic at hand: Eggs. What can I say about an egg? Why am I even posting about eggs? Your guess is as good as mine, but suffice it to say, I was watching Sabrina again (more times than I'd like to admit), and the scene where she's in Paris, at the Cordon Bleu, being taught how to crack an egg always brings a smile. "Today, we will learn the correct way how to crack an egg. Voila! An egg. Now an egg is not a stone, it is a living thing. So when we crack it, we must not torment it. We must be merciful and execute it quickly.....like with the guillotine. It is done with one hand....kindly watch the wrist. Voila! One, two, three, CRACK! You see? It is all in the wrist. Now everybody take an egg. One, two, three, CRACK! New egg." (All said with a thick French accent).

The incredible, edible egg. There was a time when I felt it necessary to remove the "chalaza," those icky, stringy strands found in raw eggs. They just, well, were nasty looking. It took me a long time to get over it. Probably around the time that baking and cooking became an integral part of my life........and certainly, when I worked at the cafe', it wouldn't have been prudent to take the time and remove all of those ropes from all of those cracked-open eggs. And apparently the fresher the egg, the more prominent the chalaza. Who knew? How to tell if an egg still in its shell is raw or cooked? Give it a spin. If it whirls around like a top, it's cooked. If it looks like a weeble-wobble, it's raw.

This whole egg topic brought to mind another old movie, The Egg and I starring Fred MacMurray (Bob) and Claudette Colbert (Betty), and introduced Ma and Pa Kettle to audiences. (Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride, respectively). It was adapted from the memoirs of author Betty MacDonald and apparently caused a lawsuit or two....which I won't get into here. Bob informs Betty--on their wedding night--that he's purchased a chicken farm. Betty is none too enthused about their prospective new 'digs,' and when glamorous neighbor (Harriet Putnam) sets her sights on Bob, Betty is just, well, fed up with the muck and mire. All-in-all, a cute movie, guaranteed to scramble you up in all the fun. (Don't say it....I know).