{"id":293,"date":"2007-03-09T11:08:09","date_gmt":"2007-03-09T17:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/index.php\/2007\/03\/09\/thems-good-eggs\/"},"modified":"2008-02-11T23:25:29","modified_gmt":"2008-02-12T05:25:29","slug":"thems-good-eggs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2007\/03\/thems-good-eggs\/","title":{"rendered":"Them’s Good Eggs"},"content":{"rendered":"

I make good eggs. Of course, I ran a bed-and-breakfast for a year. Making muffins and, yes, eggs got me hired. But that’s not what I mean.<\/p>\n

I make good eggs. A year and a half ago, I put up a Brick<\/strong> that toward the end<\/a> included my daydream that family and friends just humor me about my cooking, that it’s not that great, because it beats their having to cook and wash up themselves (I’m a cook who cleans the kitchen as he goes). But this is not what I mean.<\/p>\n

I make good eggs so they let me keep my job. This is in the Woody Allen sense:<\/p>\n

This guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, ‘Doc, my brother’s crazy. He thinks he’s a chicken.’ And the doctor says, ‘Why don’t you turn him in?’ And the guy says, ‘I would but I need the eggs.'”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here is an attribution<\/a>. Google is right when it points to this being a line in Allen’s movie Annie Hall<\/em> and that his character goes on to say men and women persist in love because they need the eggs. But I feel sure that it was a joke he also used in his stand-up days as well as being in one of his books of short pieces like Without Feathers<\/em> or Getting Even.<\/em><\/p>\n

Most of us keep our jobs because our companies need the eggs. Mine tend to be Grade B Medium, not A, not Large or purity white or country brown eggs. But they cook up like uniform glowing eggs from the grocery.<\/p>\n

My doing eggs for a paycheck, eggs that don’t exist in any manual labor sense, is allowed because of the usual circumstances: My work is competent where excellence is not needed or not worth the expense, I’ll do when there are vacancies in the department, I don’t complain as much as others — that sort of thing.<\/p>\n

What They<\/strong> don’t tell you in high school or college. Well that could fill a book. But here I can say with hindsight, one of the things They<\/strong> don’t tell you is that sometimes there is a difference between the skills you enjoy and the skills you’re good at. During a career one should be careful — we may not have a choice, but recognize this — that you may find and get trapped in a series of jobs due to the skills you’re good at. The skills you enjoy performing, you also may be good at and even great at, but They<\/strong> are looking for the skill set for the job.<\/p>\n

I’ve made good eggs in several recent roosts. When They<\/strong> realize — or admit — men do not lay eggs and men are not chickens — well, then, I am toast. -30-<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I make good eggs. Of course, I ran a bed-and-breakfast for a year. Making muffins and, yes, eggs got me hired. But that’s not what I mean. I make good eggs. A year and a half ago, I put up a Brick that toward the end included my daydream that family and friends just humor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technical-difficulties"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":369,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2007\/11\/keep-laying\/","url_meta":{"origin":293,"position":0},"title":"Keep Laying","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"November 12, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Every time work gets weird I think of this old joke. Its application gets broader and broader. This guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, 'Doc, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken.' And the doctor says, 'Well, why don't you turn him in?' The guy says, 'I would,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life Lessons"","block_context":{"text":"Life Lessons","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/life-lessons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6240,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2018\/12\/shakshuka-181-its-vegan\/","url_meta":{"origin":293,"position":1},"title":"Shakshuka 181, It’s Vegan","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"December 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Shakshuka is a skillet dish where eggs are poached in a savory tomato sauce. It's North African to Middle Eastern but generally considered Israeli. Cook and food writer Mark Bittman this week blogged on Epicurious editor David Tamarkin and his variation\u00a0White Shakshuka. It looks wonderful, eggs poached in a stew\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main Courses"","block_context":{"text":"Main Courses","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/entrees\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Skillet of Shakshuka 181","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Skillet-of-Shakshuka-181.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Skillet-of-Shakshuka-181.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Skillet-of-Shakshuka-181.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Skillet-of-Shakshuka-181.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Skillet-of-Shakshuka-181.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7387,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2022\/11\/just-so-omelet\/","url_meta":{"origin":293,"position":2},"title":"Just So Omelet","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"November 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Illustration for the table of contents of the 1912 edition of \"Just So Stories\" by Rudyard Kipling. Credit Wikimedia Commons Just So Omelet is a story about eggs and flatbreads. Just So Stories was a collection for children by Rudyard Kipling. Rather than illuminate biology for children with facts, his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main Courses"","block_context":{"text":"Main Courses","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/entrees\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Moong dal omelet","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/moong-dal-omelet.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/moong-dal-omelet.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/moong-dal-omelet.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/moong-dal-omelet.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/moong-dal-omelet.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/moong-dal-omelet.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4778,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2014\/04\/tasty-homemade-matzo\/","url_meta":{"origin":293,"position":3},"title":"Tasty Homemade Matzo","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"April 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This matzo recipe tastes way better than a box. That's the joke about storebought matzo, the unleavened bread eaten instead of conventional yeast or baking soda\/powder loaves or other baked goods during the Jewish holiday of Passover. Yet I've always liked matzo, and factory-made does taste far better than cardboard.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bake"","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tasty homemade matzo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/matzo-041514-1000x-300x300.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5039,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2014\/12\/vegan-schnecken\/","url_meta":{"origin":293,"position":4},"title":"Snack on Vegan Schnecken","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"December 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, schnecken can be veganized. I wouldn't be posting, but the sweet rolls were a hit at a party Christmas afternoon. The friends won't know the pastries were animal free until they read this. The earlier recipe, in this Brick \"Savor Schnecken Like a Snail,\" was last updated a year\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bake"","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Schnecken","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5390,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2016\/04\/vegan-frittata\/","url_meta":{"origin":293,"position":5},"title":"Vegan Frittata","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"April 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"My chickpea frittata with flash-cooked bok choy. ForksOverKnives.com, the website of the 2011 documentary, piqued my interest a few months ago with a recipe for \"Chickpea Omelet.\" No, it's not lumpy with garbanzos. The dish is a savory thick pancake using\u00a0flour ground from the bean. Update: Similar versions use a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main Courses"","block_context":{"text":"Main Courses","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/entrees\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The amounts for this recipe leave room in a large skillet to flash cook a side vegetable, here some baby bok choy. They're not truly saut\u00e9ed but cooked about 3-4 minutes then turned for another couple.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chickpea-Frittata-skillet-042316-1280x1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chickpea-Frittata-skillet-042316-1280x1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chickpea-Frittata-skillet-042316-1280x1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chickpea-Frittata-skillet-042316-1280x1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chickpea-Frittata-skillet-042316-1280x1280.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}