a peek inside the fishbowl

28 Jan, 2021

Thanks to the pandemic, I have learned some very important things

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Misc. life|Recipes and Food

I eat a boiled egg at around 10 a.m. every weekday morning.

I’ve done this often enough now that I’ve learned a few valuable lessons. I wanted to share with you today, not just about the process of boiling eggs, but about myself.

My daily egg might seem like an odd snacking habit but…

  1. 1 – It gives me a reason to get up from my work desk. Also, I know what I’m about to go eat so there’s no time spent wondering or rummaging.
  2. 2 – Eggs are a healthy snack…
  3. 3 – … and for some reason this little hit of protein at this exact time means ‘m not totally ravenous at lunch but it seems to stave off the midday slumps and snack attacks.

Let’s call this LESSON NUMBER ONE: Eggs do something good to my body.

For as long as I have known Mark – and we’re talking just over a couple of decades – he has insisted that piercing the shell at the wide end of the egg prevents it from cracking when it hits the boiling water. So of course, I steadfastly refused to poke my eggs. But I’ve now boiled so many batches of eggs that I realized I was regularly losing one or two due to the shells cracking in the water. So I begrudgingly started piercing the shell as directed and VOILA, problem solved. I have not had an egg crack since I started piercing the shells. (Note: I use a corn holder for this.)

LESSON NUMBER TWO: I should be more open to suggestions, especially when they are well-intended, and come from someone who has also boiled eggs a few times. MY experience isn’t the only experience. Other people’s experiences are also valid. (It doesn’t mean that I need to ACCEPT them, but considering other experiences is a good idea.)

I’ve also realized that the perfect egg is dropped into a rolling boil, and then after a minute or two the temperature is turned down to a simmer for an overall cooking time of exactly nine minutes. After a cold water bath, the egg is peeled and salted and eaten over the kitchen sink and it is heaven.

LESSON NUMBER THREE: There is such a thing as a perfectly boiled egg.

LESSON NUMBER FOUR: Take a moment to savour the little things, because life is really just a collection of little things that add up to one big thing.

 


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  • Gretchen Humphrey: I had a beautiful bee& birdbath filled with a solar fountain and dozens of antique marbles that were suddenly disappearing. At first I thought my
  • Jinjer: I am sobbing reading this post. And you're right, companion is not enough. Little furry treasured gifts that they are. Thanks for sharing cutie-pi
  • Karen: Dear Andrea, Mark and your daughters I am so very sad for your family xxx Piper was/is my favourite Instagram post. You shared with us so intimately
  • Christina Banuelos: Thank you for sharing Pipers life with us. Your posts of Piper brought me joy. Every time I see your post and see what kind of mischief Piper was gett
  • Carla Slocum: I am sitting here yet again crying at your loss. We have known that loss with Asta the WFT our first pup but now have the enormous gift of Stryker the
  • Janelle Brown: Dear Andrea Thank you for sharing Piper’s story with her followers. I empathise with your grief and emptiness as I lost my 14 year old Westie last
  • Natasha McReynolds-Nicholl: My god reading this is heartbreaking. December 1st was the as you describe longest day of my life, we lost out beautiful WFT hazel. Pipers final momen

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


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