Eggs

by Whitney Stradley
I love hard boiled eggs. I eat them every morning. Last Christmas, my parents gifted me with what looks like a giant plastic egg. The giant plastic egg is used to hard boil eggs in the microwave. Prior to the gift of the plastic egg, I boiled the eggs on the stove.

For one of our team dinners, I arrived early to assist with the cooking. I was instructed to hard boil eggs on the stove. I realized that I have not hard boiled eggs on the stove in about six months. I vaguely remembered the Better Homes and Garden recipe to place the eggs in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil and then take off the stove, cover and let stand for eighteen minutes. Throughout this whole process, I kept thinking why this kitchen does not have a timer or microwave and my life at this moment would be easier with a timer and most of all, a giant plastic egg. The ultimate intercultural misunderstanding of this experience is one of time and convenience. Americans have giant plastic eggs to hard boil eggs in the microwave to save time. From a research and development perspective, a company is telling Americans that they are so busy that they do not even have the time to boil eggs. I can’t imagine Italians ever having a giant plastic egg to cook things in or actually attempting to explain the giant plastic egg to an Italian. Americans are always looking for ways to make their lives more convenient and save time. Italians are looking for more ways to enjoy life and not let it pass by or as they say “'vivendo la dolce vita'”. Through this intercultural misunderstanding, I am now going to try to live the sweet life and begin to appreciate the Italian view of taking time to enjoy life and boil eggs on the stove.