Monday, March 9, 2009

My Kingdom for an Egg

I like eggs. They're good scrambled, baked in cake, whipped up into a country omelet. They are a happy part of my unbalanced diet.

The Czech people on the other hand seem to LOVE eggs. They are everywhere. Boiled, scrambled, poached. Sliced and on bread with horseradish or tartar for sandwiches. Chopped and mixed with mayo (not Miracle Whip, but heavy real mayo) and spread with ham on toast. Sprinkled on pizza- not breakfast pizza, real pizza. On top of cheeseburgers. Fried and put in baguettes with sliced meat. Sliced, dehydrated, and premixed into your cereal like strawberries.

Well, the last one isn't true, but I'm betting it would be a huge hit here.

They sell wooden eggs, big and small. Each part of the country has a traditional way of decorating eggshells for Christmas and Easter decorations. These are quite beautiful, and are also for sale in some small traditional shops. Some are even jeweled. Garnet brooches are made in the shape of eggs.

They even have a story about eggs and the St. Charles bridge. They say that each village had to send money or goods to help build the bridge. One village sent eggs to help strengthen the bridge. The eggs were boiled and mixed into the mortar. They claim this is why the bridge has stood so long.

I pointed out to my British compatriots the love affair with the egg here. They hadn't noticed. I am not terribly surprised. Look at what they eat in England.

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