Peeling Eggs

 

Quail Eggs - a gift from a friend

I like to have eggs for breakfast -- usually scrambled, but sometimes I will boil them to minimise clean-up or so that I can eat them on the go. When I peel hard-boiled eggs, I have learned to tap the shell against a hard surface, all around the girth of the egg. Then I peel that central belt of shell off the egg, and, if I'm lucky, the polar caps pop off quite easily, more or less in one piece.

Watching me do this once, my Dad said, "you know, it's better to peel them end-to-end first, rather than around the equator."

"Oh really..." I muttered, rolling my eyes slightly and continuing to peel the eggs the way that I had always peeled them.

"It works better," he said.

"Umhm..." I murmured.

I could have asked him why, and, knowing my Dad he would have had a good explanation as to why he knew better. But I didn't ask, because I knew that even if his explanation was convincing, I had no intention of changing my habit. I was used to his regular unsolicited advice, but I was pretty opinionated myself -- I had, after all, inherited his independence and logical brain, and I was old enough to have my own thoughts and habits. So, usually, I smiled sweetly, thanked him for his input, and carried on doing things my own way.

A few weeks ago, I was peeling hard-boiled eggs, and the memory of this unremarkable exchange came back to me through the sensation of cracking and peeling. I caught my breath, and braced myself for the now familiar ache in my chest that I would never again have those little interactions with my Dad. He died last December and I miss him terribly.

As I picked up the next egg, I paused for a moment, and then reoriented the egg in my fingers, before cracking the shell around the egg, pole-to-pole. I may never know why that method is supposed to "work better" and I don't really care if I ever find out, or even if does make a difference. I just know that whenever I peel a hard-boiled egg, I will always do it this way from now on. It's just one more little habit that I will change to keep his memory alive.