The Trouble with Eggs
by Khyrunnisa A
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In this light-hearted, humorous essay, Khyrunnisa A gently satirises our tendency to follow food fads and fashions. The narrator, believing carrots are good for the eyes, dutifully devours them 'at a rate that would have given rabbits a complex', until a friend announces that it is actually eggs, especially the yolk (now praised for 'good cholesterol' that raises 'HDL levels'), that are good for eyesight. Delighted, since she loves eggs, the narrator rushes to buy some. But 'the trouble with eggs is that they are fragile'. Her first half-dozen crack the moment she sets the bag 'a little too firmly' on the counter, forcing her to throw them away and spend half an hour cleaning the mess and its stink. She buys more, but in the auto the bag lurches and the eggs tumble onto the road, and she gladly leaves them behind. Defeated by the fragility of eggs, she returns home, takes a carrot from the fridge and 'begins chomping on it'. Beneath the comedy, the essay is a witty social satire on blind imitation, fickle health trends and following advice without thinking for ourselves.
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'The Trouble with Eggs' by Khyrunnisa A is a humorous personal essay that pokes fun at how easily we follow changing food fads. Through the narrator's comic misadventures with eggs, the essay becomes a gentle social satire on blind imitation and fickle health trends.
From carrots to eggs
Believing that 'carrots were good for your eyes', the narrator devours them 'at a rate that would have given rabbits a complex'. Then a friend announces that it is not carrots but eggs, 'the egg, the whole egg and nothing but the egg', that are good for the eyes. When the narrator worries about the cholesterol in the yolk, the friend cheerfully explains that 'the turncoats have changed their tune': the yolk is now 'the hero', full of 'good cholesterol' that 'will raise your HDL levels'.
Since she loves eggs, the narrator happily believes her. Delicious visions of 'a bull's eye, sunny side up, scrambled eggs, a fluffy omelette' and boiled eggs rise before her, and she decides to buy some that very day.
The trouble begins
'But the problem with eggs is that they are fragile. They break easily.' Humorously personifying them, she complains that eggs 'haven't been taught manners' and 'crack without a warning'. Her first triumphant half-dozen, brought home intact, crack the instant she plonks the bag 'a little too firmly' on the counter, 'Plop! Crrrack!'. The broken shells, the messy mix and the soggy paper cone force her to throw the whole lot away and spend 'the next half-hour' cleaning the counter and battling the stink.
Defeat and return to carrots
Undeterred, she buys more eggs and guards them 'protectively' in the auto, but 'the auto lurched, the bag swayed, the eggs fell to the floor', and when the driver brakes, they tumble out onto the road. Relieved she 'didn't have to clean the mess', she tells him to drive on.
Defeated by the sheer fragility of eggs, the narrator goes home, takes 'a carrot out of the fridge' and 'begins chomping on it'. The comic ending drives home the essay's gentle satire: how readily we chase every new food trend, and how quickly we abandon it at the first inconvenience.