Random Thoughts During Breakfast

Life is like frying an egg.  When you want the yolk to stay whole, it breaks.  When you are frying the egg, say for a sandwich, the yolk stays intact, forcing you to break it. Life, you frequently get what you do not want, or you need to make it happen.

As I was washing my dishes after consuming my homemade Egg McMuffin, I was watching the crew mow and trim the neighbor’s yard. It was a mix crew of Latinos and Blancos – for lack of a better word. The Latinos had on wide brim hats. One had the hat with the flap covering the neck.  They also had on long sleeve shirts. The Blanco had no hat and wore short sleeves. Persons with dark skin do not want to get darker, but the Blanco did not mind.  We all want to be something we are not.

Just as an aside, I had a coworker whose wife worked at Washington University here in St. Louis. WU is widely considered one of the dozen best schools in the country.  He lent me a book by Kimberly Jade Norwood, Washington University professor of law and African & African American studies. Her book on skin color bias is: Color Matters: Skin Tone Bias and the Myth of a Postracial America.

A couple other random thoughts I have had while doing repetitive or mundane tasks:

Luxury brands because we are all insecure and need validation.

Pets – especially dogs – because we are all lonely and need a friend. Or possibly social media because we are all lonely and need a friend.

And so it goes.

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Matrimonial Log – Star Date 5785.055

“Matrimony… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Casamiento Segundo, its until-death-do-us-part mission… to explore a strange new relationship… to seek out a new life and new adventures… to boldly go where no sane couple has gone before.”

I went downstairs this morning and said to Señora, “What about fixing me some eggs for breakfast?”

She replied, “Are your arms broken?  I know you know where the skillet is.  You put it up last night after you washed the dishes.”

She went on to add, “Besides who do you think you are, the King of England, wanting eggs for breakfast. We’re not jet setters around here who can afford such luxuries.”

All of which reminded me of a story about my daughter from when she was in 5th grade:   $40 A$$

For an interesting comparison of egg prices: Price of eggs in Mexico

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Fanny Farmer’s Whole-Egg Mayonnaise (Blender Mayonnaise)

This easy blender mayonnaise recipealso can be made with electric beaters. Fanny Farmer Cookbook

Ingredients

  1. 1 egg
  2. ½ teaspoon dry mustard
  3. ½ teaspoon salt
  4. 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
  5. 1½ cups olive or other oil *
  1. Put the egg, seasonings and ¼ cup oil in the blender and whirl until well mixed (20 to 30 seconds).
  2. Pour in the rest of the oil in a steady stream. Stop as soon as the emulsion is smoothly blended.

This recipe is from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

* The olive oil makes for a very strong flavor… try regular oil for a milder more traditional tasting mayonnaise.  Rev. Joe Dirt

Now I can get free range organic eggs and have my mayonnaise… woo woo!   When Robin made some homemade mayo, I was blown away by how much better it was than the stuff in jars I have been getting for years.  Not sure if this is her recipe, but close.

 

High Cost of Cheap Eggs

Lessons From the Egg Recall: Cheap Food Makes You Sick – Huffington Post Article

I moved to cage free and preferably free range eggs a while back.  I’ve given up mayonnaise because the eggs in it come from such places.  While the eggs are pasteurized it would be an economic vote for such places as the Iowa factory farms producing the tainted eggs to buy such a product.

And eggs are not the only cheap food that has a high cost.  Just about all the meat (chicken, turkey, beef, and pork) in the supermarkets of this country comes from industrialized farms.  It has been well documented why these are not good places, and definitely not good places to get the food that nourishes your body.  As much as I love a good steak, I cannot in good conscience eat one anymore.

This is a capitalistic society.  Dollars are economic votes.  Is seemingly cheap more important than the environment, the workers in such places,   the animals welfare, or if self interest motivates, your health?  Is it really ethical to sustain such places with your continued participation by buying their product?  Unfortunately, for so many of these corporate operations, the bottom line is what matters.  It should be different, but they only change when they see their bottom lines headed the wrong way.

How are you voting?

Word of the Day – Virgin

  • Noun:  Virgin
    1. a person who has never had sexual intercourse
    2. a person who is naive, innocent, or inexperienced, especially in a particular context.    “a political virgin”
    3. Entomology – a female insect that produces eggs without being fertilized.
  • Adjective:
    1. being, relating to, or appropriate for a virgin.    “his virgin bride”
    2. not yet touched, used, or exploited. “a virgin forest”
  •  Synonyms:
    1. chaste
    2. virginal
    3. celibate
    4. abstinent
    5. unused
    6. untouched
    7. innocent
  • Usage:
    1. “My soul flits away into the virgin forests and to the savannas. All is beautiful.” ~~ from Les Miserable by Victor Hugo
  • Encountered:
    1. I used the word at work in the sense of being inexperienced; “I was a virgin at picking at people until Chris taught me how.”  They ran away from me like I had said something pornographic.

To see more Words of the Day, visit this link: Words of the Day