 |
| from the post, "A Healthy Start to the Memorial Day Weekend" (26 May 2012) |
Not that I'm nowhere near close to be known as a vegetarian (and the own notion of my food identity confirms this sentiment), but there's something about the phrase "
Don't put all your eggs in one basket" that I prefer over the phrase "
Don't count your chickens before they hatch."
 |
| I do not own this photo. Photo from stockfresh.com, by uploader "cteconsulting" (http://stockfresh.com/image/287847/dont-count-chickens-before-they-hatch) |
|
|
As I reflected on an e-mail I received earlier today, I began to feel even more motivated by the journey I've taken so far as my prospects for graduate school are concerned. The inner debate I had between the two adages mentioned above brought me to think of the following logic. In the latter instance, the phrase seems to suggest one of two things: 1) as much as you prep and groom the conditions for the chicks to hatch, you don't really know if the fate of that egg even has the tools necessary to produce a lively chick; and 2) the structure you've set up may result in naught, should the conditions not be perfect.. or if the rug is pulled from the structure like an untrained magician and the egg happens to fall out and crash. Of course, if the chickens do hatch, you can certainly expect economic, etc. prosperity and then the circle of life continues.
 |
| from the post "Food and Culture Program #5: Franco-Italian Comfort" (11 March 2012) |
But as for the former phrase, I think the culinary results I've created of either scenario are what I have dreamed up as more appealing, comforting, encouraging, and an overall healthy way to approach growth and learning from the past. If all your eggs are in one basket and hard work, determination, passion, what have you are inexplicably squashed (hopefully onto a clean surface), true development becomes signified in the courage to pick out the egg shells and whip up
scrambled eggs, or better yet the more technical omelet-- a symbol of the turmoil of the past, but even more so the work you just put in to move on and be nourished by this meal you just created. With focus, you can learn what did and didn't work; and well, with the scrambled eggs or omelet, you should have enough food in you to try again. Conversely, should all the eggs make it through the tumultuous (or even smooth sailing journey) from point A to point F (because food is at the endpoint awaiting most journeys, no?), you're free to make anything you wish of those eggs (including scrambled if that's your thing; point is you've got choices). If you allow me to indulge in a few more lines and extend the saying further, you could divide up those eggs and make a velvety
hollandaise sauce, a symbol of not only technical skill but of the rich future ahead of you, or even the delicate soufflé, which for the sake of the graduate school context represents that the journey isn't yet over. But with practice and many trips back and forth, after all the inconsistent and deflated poofs of egg white, you'll develop the tools and experiences to know just how much sugar to add, as well as the appreciation for the time and energies you put into your food. Who knows, maybe you might want to try and perfect poaching eggs, creating a structure for the natural sauce to compliment any dream you've patiently waited for in the green fields.
 |
| from the post, "An "A" for Admissions: A Participatory Cooking Class" (23 May 2012) |
If you've gotten this far down my ramblings and musings of the morning, I applaud you (though I wouldn't expect anything less if you've made it through most of posts in the past!). However you want to apply either phrase is entirely up to you; but I do sign off and affirm that with the former, you'll certainly be well nourished as I have to be motivated to push on! So what do you think? Am I totally off? Do you prefer one phrase of another? or is there another saying that has motivated/continues to motivate you to try, try, and try again?
No comments:
Post a Comment