Monday, February 11, 2008

On Eggs and Other Deviations from the Status Quo

A good friend (and, happily, neighbor) of mine keeps chickens in his back yard, which I've decided is about the coolest thing a person living in urban environs could possibly do. One, because it's a great conversation starter, but two, because you then get to eat eggs that look like this:



I hardly know what to say to properly eulogize the egg I had for breakfast yesterday (see above). I have become so accustomed to the pale yellow, anemic looking yolks from eggs you get in the grocery store here in the States. Look at that yolk!  Practically orange, so full of iron and protein and yummy fatty goodness...  I forgotten how much more rich and delicious a free-range, organic, right-out-of-the-chicken's-butt huevo is than the watered down, hormone-full sad-excuse-for-an-ovum that passes for an egg in this country.  I remember the first time I ate an egg outside of the USA.  I was in Peru, I was 19, and when I told the woman I was staying with that I wanted an egg, she went outside, found some craftily-located roost, took an egg out of the nest, and served it sunny-side up.  I thought I'd found nirvana.  Let us pause for a moment of sacred silence, because in terms of the simple joys of eating good food, it doesn't get much better than this.

And speaking of simple joys, I want to celebrate a signal event in my life, coming up on March 4.  I am a registered Democrat, but I have lived all of my adult life in the U.S. in Republican states.  North Carolina, Utah, New Mexico, and now, Texas.  Which is to say that, because of this cursed system of the Electoral College (oh, how I hate it), my vote has never once "counted" in a presidential election.  Not that this has stopped me from voting, but when I do so it is with a sad sense of resignation -- the only time I remember being at all hopeful was in the 2004 election, when I lived in New Mexico, but that, as I'm sure you all remember, was a bust.  But now!  On March 4 when I vote, when I caucus, oh my goodness.  My vote will COUNT!!  I know it's "counted" in primaries before, but I've never been in a Super Tuesday state, not to mention Iowa, New Hampshire, and their ilk.  The race was all sewn up by the time it got around to where I was. For the first time in my life I feel like a true part of a participatory democracy, and it is both energizing and fantastic.  The class I T.A. for is studying the American Revolution right now and I was just reading about Boston and all those town hall meetings when for the first time in Anglo-Saxon history the property requirement was dropped for all men to participate, and the working class flooded the streets and the meeting halls.  I got so excited as I read it, because for once, I knew almost exactly how they might have felt.  I'm not saying I'm going to go dump tea in Lake Travis, or tar and feather Republican congressmen, but it's exciting nonetheless.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

That is a beautiful egg and I like your ode to it. I'd never thought about the differences in eggs before. I guess I didn't really start eating them until last year either which may be part of it (previously I'd been content only to food that might have eggs in it). But, there must be something about our general neighborhood because my neighbor across from me street also has chickens. (Including a rooster which cock-a-doodle-doos in the wee hours of the morning). Still, it makes me happy to see chickens fluttering about.

Captain Judy said...

i am now hungry and thirsty!!! where can i get a sunnyside free range austinite egg complete with lady bird johnson/town lake tea? mmmmm

Cheasty said...

mmmm... maybe after rowing on Saturday morning I can treat you to a delicious egg? hmmmm? you bring coffee.

Cheasty said...

you know what I just noticed? you can see my reflection in the yolk while I took the picture. wild!

Cary McNeal said...

This reminds me of the old Woody Allen bit where Woody tells his shrink that his brother is crazy and thinks he's a chicken. Dr. says, why don't you tell him the truth? Woody: We need the eggs.

=)

Cheasty said...

HA! I had forgotten about that old schtick, but it's hilarious. Thanks for reminding me!