Beez Neez now Chy Whella

BB Egg Events

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Sat 14 Feb 2015 23:57

The Egg Events of Big Bear – Explained

Ron, one of our faithful, long term blog readers from Ontario posed -

My question for you is how do you get the eggs to boil so nicely out of the shells? Thank you Ron, so happy to have you in the BARB’s.

As I haven’t boiled an egg for many a long year – decades in fact, I feel I should go to the top and ask himself to explain.

I of course asked Bear to write this blog but his first excuse, I can’t type very speedily so why don’t I dictate – captains perk and all. Huh. I might as well get to it myself.

In hindsight I’ve always been presented with a tray, two perfectly boiled eggs – rare for me to get an egg event but it has happened, with either a piece of toast or bread and Marmite.

This got me thinking, why don’t I watch the process from start to finish, an investigative piece with helpful pictures........ Should I start to growl. No, I’ll not get in the way – much. Now then. Camera in hand, this could be a bit of fun. HUH, I take this particular culinary skill very seriously I’ll have you know – should that read only culinary skill. Cheeky madam, I do a great line in sandwiches, cups of tea and cold drinks.

Sorry sir, anyhoo, back to the photo-journalistic blog in hand. First, I watched the eggs come in from the cockpit, carefully selected of course and tested for the expected sink not float matter. Saucepan and tools lined up like a surgeons tool table. Steady. Then salt added to the pan and half filled with water. Oooo, my nana always lit the gas and threw the match in, said it helped with the jostling.......... I don’t use matches, move it along. Okay, don’t get your panties in a bunch. Side note: the red, plastic egg thingy – must have it, it will be so useful and may halt or reduce the egg events.........has met with a watery grave. That went well then..........

I watched as Bear got the timer ready, Marmite came out for me and then he set the plates up in readiness.

The water came to the boil and I watched as one by one Bear placed the eggs - two eggs for each for us to eat now and four to go on to become hard boiled for tomorrow or the next day, Bear likes his with mayo in a sandwich, I like mine with salad.

The first egg in or maybe the second gave hint as to an egg event in the making, I was very excited to see this from the very seed of the happening. Huh. The lid went on. Oh deep joy and thundeebolt, colour me happy - froth. Lid off and there I am producing short breaths in long pants..............

Meanwhile, no sooner than the lid had been applied to the task than Gordon Blue produced a flurry of activity. I had no idea that he could rush in a co-ordinated fashion. Cheek. Well it’s true I only ever see you........steadily at a task. Toast was produced, my bread was extra buttered and Marmite was applied. You’ll have to sit down now. Yes sir.

As I retreated from the scene to my seat I watched as my first egg was delivered to the egg cup with surgical precision, then the second, now seated, I was presented with a veritable triumph of culinary skill. Thank you. You’re welcome. It’s usually at this point that I call out – any egg events. If a positive reply occurs I put my tray to one side and race for the camera, leap back to my tray to do my beheadings so as not to let the eggs carry on cooking.

Salt is added in a pile to the corner of my plate, ready for dipping and the captain appears with his tray. Bear appeared, this particular egg event certainly a very pleasing one.

My perfection and Bears artistic and unique creation.

Guests ??? No nerves at all, my egg man rose to the task, stepped up to the plate and delivered perfection. I needed a back up plan for my second egg as we had div-vied out the egg cups – Two v’s together always look like a w so I put a hyphen in........ No problem, I simply employed My Mate. It’s not ours because Bear purports to hating the stuff – but as mentioned before he enjoys Twiglets............ Ah but it’s different, Yes Dear. Now watching Chris, aka Maj, short for majesty entering her egg it got me thinking. How do you all enter your egg ??? would love to know. I tap a couple of times with my knife in the same spot, as soon as I have a divert I slash the top off. Maj on the other hand tapped lightly all the way round.

Our salt pot. This common – to most, piece of equipment, deserves a quick mention. Bimbling around the boat show many years ago, we watched a demonstration of the ‘world’s most amazing salt pot’. Never gets sticky, no need for grains of rice, only snag was the eighteen pound price ticket. Eighteen pounds, does it have a four piece dinner service come with it ??? On the other hand I think I should buy it for you. Bimbling when tired and hungry has often produced a rash purchase, well this was it. Well, we were both working at the time, wouldn’t happen today of course. All these years later though, I’m pleased to report that it is still going strong, never has had the need for even a single grain of rice and still pours beautifully.

Now since Ron posed the original question back in an email dated the 30th of December, there have been many a boiled egg breakfast, normally on Sunday morning, sometimes an extra one during the week. Some have produced a tiny bit of escape that Bear simply scoops out of the pan and onto his bread. One provided a very delicate egg event but none have ever ever been eaten without the empty shell being inverted and holed thereby resulting in the release of yet another spirit of a sailor or seaman from eternal wanderings on the Southern Ocean within a handsome albatross.

This morning I was just finishing this blog, hungry, you guessed it, can we have eggs. Surely, no problem, it’ll be my Valentine’s gift........ My dear man went straight to the task. Nine minutes later my tray arrived, beautifully presented. What was that, a tiny egg event ??? No just a little froth stuck to one of my shells. Camera ready, just in case, in came the skippers tray – there it was, the latest egg event.

I got to hold the tray while he clambered back onto the bed, to watch an episode of something while we ate. None-the-less, in my very hands. Side note: We chose the very first episode of 24, I know, I know, late to that particular party, but we do like to hole things in reserve. Guess what.........we watched the second episode too, then I went to sew a new anchor bag for Baby Beez, the skipper – somewhere about the estate.........

My thumb proves the honour of holding this medium sized event.

Thursday evening I was going over plans for this blog, nothing special on the menu – let’s have eggs. A very rare occurrence for an evening do. Why not. Same procedure followed by super chef, Oh I know the signs - the pan, froth. Well there I was sitting at the table, watching something special being lifted – in real time, I leave you with the most spectacular egg event to date.