“Stop being childish and eat some eggs, Alex.”
—My lovely boyfriend
If you'd told me a year ago I’d be eating eggs differently, I would’ve laughed in your face without hesitation. And if I had to describe my relationship with eggs back then, I would’ve told you it’s complicated, Facebook-style — a love/hate type of thing.
I didn’t have a problem with eggs, per se. But for the majority of my life, the only way I’d eat them was boiled. Not scrambled. Not sunny-side up. Not as an omelet, either. Just plain boiled. I was already a weird kid to some people when I was younger, so this small quirk pretty much confirmed my eccentricity (I had an imaginary friend named Kimberly, too).
Numerous times, I was asked the reasoning behind my aversion to all those other egg variations. I could never give an actual reason other than, “It’s just my preference.” I didn’t find the non-boiled takes disgusting; I simply liked boiled eggs better.
I remember the first time I tried boiling them. It ended up being a complete disaster.
I was in the first grade, and my cooking skills didn’t extend beyond cereal and sandwiches. At 6 years old, I had no clue how to boil anything, of course. All I knew was hot water was involved in some way. I had the bright idea that holding two raw eggs — shells intact — in my hand underneath hot running water was the equivalent of boiling them in a pot. Needless to say, it wasn’t the same, and I learned the hard way toward the end of the school day, when a classmate pointed out a yellow stain on the outside of my pink backpack.
Picture my face after seeing my pencils and markers covered in a gooey yellow mess. My lesson that day: I should ask an adult for help before boiling eggs from now on.
I did actually go through a scrambled eggs phase for a couple of years in middle school. I don’t remember why or how it started it, but I liked mine fluffy, in a bowl, mixed in with warm, buttery grits and crisp, greasy bacon. Thinking about those eggs still makes me drool sometimes. Pleased I wasn’t being such a weirdo anymore, my mom was ecstatic about my decision to chow down on scrambled eggs. It was a bit of an obsession for a while, and Mom taught me how to make them for myself, too. Although that phase ended, I can still pull off the fluffiest of scrambled eggs (pro tip: use soy or almond milk).
Years later, after my egg-boiling skills had been perfected, I’d take them to school with me for breakfast. I gained a few pounds in high school, and my grandmother told me eggs have protein, which meant eating them kept me full longer and I’d lose weight because of it. I have a tendency to go overboard sometimes, so when I heard they’d help with weight loss, I went crazy. I was under the impression I’d be able to go all day without eating — because of eggs. Seemed reasonable.
OMG was I wrong. By second period, my stomach was growling like I had a lion trapped inside me. (This has happened to everyone, right? You’re sitting in class and your belly barks are at Level 10 and you can’t stop wondering if everyone around you can also hear them?) Eventually, I figured out a system where I’d eat breakfast at home, and then enjoy my eggs when I got to school. But surviving strictly on these boiled go-tos for an entire day was not the answer.
Over the past three years, my boyfriend has tried to get me to step out of my comfort zone with egg dishes. With each refusal, he’d laugh and poke fun, calling me childish and silly. Fortunately for him, his persistence paid off. I decided last August to branch out and start eating everything from Benedicts and quiche to frittatas and what’s now my most favorite creation: the omelet. I ate a few — gasp! — on my most recent Carnival cruise (delicious, by the way), and he couldn’t believe his eyes.
I’m a little fixated on whipping them up for myself now. I love putting together different combinations to test my creativity. One thing my boyfriend can’t stop saying is that I’m not eliminating 75 percent of a restaurant’s menu. Think about it: How many times can a person eat pancakes or waffles from a breakfast lineup? This year, for me, is all about jumping out the window and trying foods I usually don’t eat.
First it was spinach, now eggs. I’d say this relationship is going to be long term.
Alexandria Jones is an adventurous foodie and a USF St. Petersburg graduate student studying Digital Journalism and Design, along with Food Writing and Photography.
This article appears in Aug 10-17, 2017.