There is no food greater than the egg.
Whether it be boiled or poached, fried or scrambled, it represents the pinnacle of culinary glory. Made into an omlette, it can be simply divine. Even simply poached, and eaten on fine bread slathered with good butter, it truly is the food of the gods. Simple, delicious, and signifying all that is great in the culinary world.
Which is why it saddens me that the humble egg is so insulted by pretty much anyone who attempts to cook it these days. I do not even speak of failure to attain elaborate egg constructions; complex French omelets, or poached eggs with caviar on rye. Rather, the fact that the simplest tasks seem beyond most people. How few people can poach truly is a national tragedy.
However, the real issue in abusing the egg is how they are no longer appreciated for their inner glory, but rather used only as mere supplements for “greater” things. For in trying to create complex creations, they destroy the delicate beauty of the egg.
And so I call for a revival of basics. For tradition. For going back to our roots. We need to recapture the truly good things in life, the simple pleasures that we so often neglect. And it begins with the soft-boiled egg. The simplest of all egg dishes, yet one which is consistently neglected. And, when tried, done abysmally. By neglecting the soft-boiled egg, we are neglecting not only our history, but our culinary soul.
Just think about what a soft boiled egg is for a moment. How it is a self-contained unit if pure flavour. Of pure goodness. Like you are eating the raw essence of life (quite literally!). It needs to garnishes, it needs no preparation. Just boil it well, and voila! Glory incarnate. It embodies good food at its core.
So. The next time you are making breakfast, the next time you need something to eat, consider the humble soft-boiled egg. Cook it properly, relish it in its beauty and simplicity, and hearken back to a simpler era of pure, and unadulterated, goodness.
(By the way, in case you are wondering, there really is no deep symbolism to this post. I am not writing about how the egg represents the nascent state of pure potentiality or anything like that. I just really like eggs).