The sun., 1895-01-20
NATIONhIITY IN EGG EATING.
Curious Racial Characteristic. Noted in
New York Restaurants.

The philosopher who Is to discover the ponder
ability OF aman's gray matter" by tho way in
which he eats boiled eggs has not yet risen
among us, but 1t only requires the ordinary
powers OF observation and moderate ncquaint-
ance with the restaurants of New York TO dis
cover that there are some very curious and
clear indications of q mans nationality to be
gathered from watching the way in which he
performs this function.
To an Englishman IL will be seen, there is
but one way in which to eat boiled eggs and all
other ways are heathenish and an abomination.
1t is necessary, In the first place, that his eggs
be medium boiled-three and half minutes is
the standard, tower-marked time-and then
brought to table in a napkin with bread and
butter. spoon, pepper and salt, and an egg cup
Not one OF those heavy, partitioned things, of
thick iron stoneware, with gobet-like arrange
ment at one end and a smaller depression at the
other, but a delicate little article of white china
with plain gold band around the edge. a narrow
band it should be. or perhaps little spray Of
this cup OF comfort the egg slides deeply, Just
leaving sufficient amount of shell above the
rim to be removed, and to remove this she'll
there is but one true method OF procedure. The
shell must be dainty clipped with the spoon,
and the fragmenats a must be RENE removed with the
brutally cut of the top OF the egg with knife
and plunge the spoon at once ~ modids res, but
means representative Of the true and insular art
OF egg-eating. 1t is allowable. under certain
broken fragments of the chipped shell, but their
use cannot be commended as good form.
Tf1 se being Of he Shs
that must be eaten as a sort Of refined antipasto
without pepper or salt. Then the condiments
heap. and the contents Of the egg are scooped
leisurey out, due care being taken to get about
same time, fresh little dab of the mixed pep
per and salt being given to each spoonful of egg.
In such a, fashi9n with ms bread and butter
propped against the caster, the Brton makes
meal which to him is the perfection Of light
II is pltiful to watch the exiled Brton wrest-
ling with the egg eating difficulties that beset
egg cups are unknown. He will have none of
the glass denominations, but straightway pro-
coed to fashion a makeshift egg cup, out Of his
one out OF his bread or roll. 1t is q sorry job
though, and he looks very unhappy by the time
or has been adapted BY us from the Germans.
German restaurants here, and it Is also
certain that nine times out of ten the
German breaks his eggs into the big end and
generally for soft boiled eggs. But no matter Of
what nationality the restaurant keeper be. or
what the cookery. let a customer order hard
boiled eggs, have the eggs chopped in two with
knife. the contents scooped out into glass and
CnOppeu up tncre Win u DAD OF Dutter and n
generous amount of pepper and salt, and then
eaten at breakneck speed, and there is no doubt
as to his nationality. He Is an American. 1t is
true that the fashion of the egg cup is more and
more prevailing every year among American
restaurants. but the eggs broken in the glass
may still be said to bo the national fashion of
fixing" the food
The Frenchmans method Of eating his boiled
egg 10 distinct and national. He too. uses the
small egg cup like the Englishman, but the sim
ilarity ceases with the removal Of the end. The
egg is soft boiled, from two and a half to three
minutes, and when the shell Is opened the
Frenchman puts in his pepper and salt and but
ter and stirs them thoroughly with the contents
until every part has been well mixed. Then he
dips each piece into the egg and eats the result.
This he continues to do until the egg is nearly
empty when he takes it out OF the cup. tilts It
up to his mouth and drinks the remainder.
This egg drinking Is a still more marked pc
cniiarity of the Spaniard and South American.
that 1t should not be boiled more than a minute
or a minute and half: ip fact. the resident
Cubans care only to have their eggs warmed
Then either the eggs are broken into
a glass and the contents drunk from that me-
dium or the shell is opened at the end, the egg
placed to the mouth, tipped up and presto!
there is one egg the less.
eggs, but when they do they generally place
th em in a vessel filled with cold water and set
the vessel on the range in some place where the
water will slowly come to a boil. When the
water boils the eggs are cooked, and according
to the Italians theirs is the only method by
which the true edible consistency OF the white
and yolk can be secured. When brought to table
1t is generally the Italians pleasure to break
the eggs on plate and sop them up with good
white bread.