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April 30, 2008

The Busyness of Life Eggs Us On

Life has become both bigger and smaller, and it is worth keeping this in mind when addressing the question of breakfast.

First, obviously, we must identify what we mean by both bigger and smaller. Like most difficult questions, it is not a topic to approach first thing in the morning. Do so in the evening, perhaps over a glass of wine to put you into an undisturbed sleep, for if the issue enters into your dreams, the seeming paradox may cause a nightmare that prompts you to scream into your pillow.

By bigger, we allow that our tastes are no longer confined to those things directly in front of us. It is possible to see photos from things halfway across the globe and think that they might be a nice addition to your life.

By smaller, we allow that life has sped up, and that you are no longer permitted long, uninterrupted periods of time to eat your meals. Some might opine that this is a sum negative, for it takes away from the enjoyment of food. We can safely ignore these people, because they sound like they might be ultimately headed for a re-education camp of some kind.

So the trick here is to embrace both kinds of change while also addressing the question of breakfast.

As it so often does, the answer to breakfast begins with the humble egg and a hot skillet.

Because we are broadening ourselves here, it is suggested that a small puddle of extra virgin olive oil be heated in the bottom of the pan.

When hot, add the egg and scramble. While the egg is setting and becoming more firm, mix in several crumbles of Feta cheese. Here, we have our first inklings of the bigger world in which we live, where strange and sometimes exotic ingredients are available for eating.

Once the cheese has softened and the egg has set, grab a handful of baby spinach.

A thought crosses your mind – we are about to make an omelet, one filled with Feta cheese and spinach. This is not a terribly rare thing. Aha, you are correct, but it is here that we also embrace how our life has shrunk, how time has swallowed us up and now prevents us from taking a great deal of joy from our food.

Rather than throw that handful of spinach into the egg and Feta mix, instead use it to line the inside of a pita pocket, and also slide into the pocket some red onion slices.

A few words here on the pita pocket. Few foods have been developed with such care and attention to provide a sandwich bread that assures easy transport. While some might extol the virtues of the bagel-wich, a pita breakfast sandwich catches food that has fallen from the top.

Fill the pocket now with your egg and Feta cheese, grab a to-go cup of coffee and head out the door.

© 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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