The eggs in the picture above all come from the same carton, and the same farm. They are not like the eggs one would find in most grocery stores. First off, they are different colors and sizes. Some are, well, egg-shaped and some are longer and more oval. Some have smooth surfaces and a few are slightly rough and have little bumps. They are uneven and unpredictable, and I love them for that.
I understand the impulse to make things uniform, to homogenize and tame the unpredictable into something more manageable. I can see why someone would argue that each egg in a carton should be perfectly identical or that milk should always taste the same. Sometimes we need to be sure, we need uniformity, we need reliability. How else can we be certain that our cakes will rise properly or that the cream soup will taste as expected?
But there's a price we pay for that regularity that we should be fully aware of. In order to squeeze nature into consistent uniformity that's also economical, we have to do some pretty nasty things to the planet and our food producing animals. Those eggs that look so perfect in the carton often come from ghastly imperfect conditions. To the extent that I can, I try to not participate in that. So if my carton of eggs are a little caddywompus? What a relief, actually. What a blessing.
Another factor is deliciousness. The oil that always tastes the same year after year has been refined of all it's nuances and unique characteristics. And again, sometimes that's OK. But it's also really wonderful to purchase an olive oil tastes of last year's unusually cool temperatures and early rains. Or that the cheese this year is extra rich because those early rains allowed the cows to graze longer on green pastures.
I'm a romantic, it's true. But so what. I'm happy to live in a world where the butter may taste a little different in the summer than in the winter because the cows are on different feed. I'm smart and agile enough to adjust my cooking and so are you. Yes, so are you! It just takes a little experience and instinct. And a willingness to be delighted in imperfection.
So I recommend you seek out the crooked and mismatched, the rough and imperfect. I say become comfortable with, grow to prefer even, foods that bear the imperfections of nature and the fumbling hand of human beings. Don't be fooled into thinking that homogeny is superior and instead celebrate the protean and precious unpredictability of things in deep relation to the natural world.
Note: Inspiration for this post comes from our cheesemonger Nora Singley's provocative post on the mystery of why Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk triple creme, washed rind cheese tastes so extraordinarily good this year. Which it does, oh my, it really really does.
(Image: Dana Velden)
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I agree wholeheartedly, it is the imperfections that make these things so special and we should celebrate them. I love the different coloured and shaped eggs that my hens lay for me. They also produce some of the tastiest, reddest egg yolks I have ever come across. Wonderful. Mmmm, now i'm hungry for a soft boiled egg and toast soldiers.
When I read the tile, I chuckled-for I am almost always feeling wonky, irregular, and lopsided.
I, too, would love to find an olive oil like you mentioned. And a farm.
thank you for a lovely and thoughtful post. i've just finished eating a large basket of irregular, lumpy, imperfect strawberries that tasted like heaven. that's also the price we pay for skin deep beauty and homogeneity - the complete lack of taste!
by the way, i'd love to be able to get butter that has terroir, but alas the laws that "protect" us make that pretty near impossible...
I just bought my first carton of wonky, farm fresh eggs at the market this morning. I'm excited to eat them!
I never knew olive oil could come in so many different flavors until I moved to the Middle East. In some stores there you can do olive oil tastings so that you can figure out which kinds you like best or which kinds best suit the meal you are planning. Some are unbelievable green and herbal tasting, while others taste astringent (in a good way!) and peppery. Some of my friends collect olive oil like some people collect wine!
Two weeks ago, I was picking up my eggs as part of my CSA box. The egg stand had all the eggs in one big box, and we each could pick out the specific eggs we wanted.
That week, there was one GREEN egg nestled in with all the others. I siezed it, oooh-ing over the color. The two volunteers at the egg stand laughed, and remarked, "you know, we had a few other green eggs in here, and we thought that people would pass them up, but they all went really fast!"
My roommate later remarked that, well, that's what happens when you get really fresh eggs rather than relying on the supermarket; natural variation. As for why the green eggs may have been so popular, maybe the fresh food fans also understand something important -- irregular can also sometimes mean REALLY FREAKIN' COOL.
For the last several years we've been getting our eggs from a friend's hens. I'm still completely ga-ga over their colors, shapes and yes, wonkiness. I have an embarrasing number of photos of eggs that looked particularly beautiful. And the ultra-orange yolks make the most gorgeous scrambled eggs!
I love the eggs we get from a local farm. The yolks are dark orange and so much richer and better tasting, and I know that the chickens are treated well, because I get to go out and see them and chat with the owner every week. We've started purchasing only grass-fed meat and pastured eggs and love how we feel physically, and how we feel knowing we are supporting sustainable practices and local farmers.
I've been buying eggs from local farms for about the past year and my husband can never get over how orange the yolks are. At first he thought there was something wrong with them but now when he has caged eggs he thinks they look unhealthy.
I grew up on a farm in North Dakota and my mother raised chickens. For the eggs, to sell the eggs and for the Sunday Chicken dinners. She would put four chickens in a large roaster, pour fresh cream over them and bake. Luscious gravy!!! But, I digress. Just recently our food coop has been offering beautiful, irregular,and very delicious organic eggs. I am thrilled.
Me too! We just got two cartons of wonky eggs from our CSA. We have white, brown, green, even blue! So cool.
But watch Food Inc. You'll be in fear for our future. In some industries (soy), you can be sued for selling your wonky wares. So scary.
We get our eggs from a local farmer, as well as all our beef, pork and poultry. Another farmer provides all our vegetables And coming up this weekend, we start getting local milk & cheese - so excited! I love knowing where our food comes from, the unbelievable flavor everything has when you eat it mere hours after it was picked and all the variation nature gives us. We consistently get eggs in our carton that are double-yolkers. Everytime I crack one open and two yolks fall out, I get so excited and my husband just laughs that I'm so easily pleased. Plus, two eggs for the price of one! :)
Dana,
I missed reading this because I was marching in the SF GLBTIQ Pride Parade. All I can say is that this doesn't just apply to eggs. It's people too..
this is a perfect Pride Sunday Post.
It's the differences that make life worth living. We don't all need to be the same, we don't need to homogenize ourselves into some conformity. We just need to all be allowed to be equal in our difference..
Anyway.. That's a whole post so I will stop there..
My MIL has a chicken that routinely lays perfect, pistachio green eggs... Honestly how is it even humanly possible to resist the Green Eggs and Ham jokes? We also get all of our beef from her teensy farm.