Eggs.

[Caimekaze]

I have come to the conclusion that eggs have a control over the human psyche.

Before I tell you how I have come to this conclusion, I should tell you a little about myself. I am a sixteen year old high school student, who works as a "checkout chick" for a source of disposable income. It's not the most mentally stimulating of jobs, which has given me a lot of time to ponder, even on the most puerile of subjects. In this case, eggs.

I serve many customers in my hours of paid employment and have noticed an almost disturbing similarity in their treatment of what they've purchased; the eggs must always be safe. People have had it forced into their minds that eggs are fragile, delicate and precious. They must be protected, as any weight on top of them could cause them to shatter and make a mess.

The amount of times I've been asked by a customer to let them carry the eggs or to put them in a separate bag had confounded me. I once placed a loaf of bread on top of a carton of eggs, sparking a panic in my customer who promptly proclaimed that I must place the eggs on top of the bread, or they will break. I tried to explain the logic behind my decision, but she did not believe me.

Eggs are an example of a scientifically proven building technique in nature, that of the arch. The arch is able to dissipate downwards force outwards and to the earth, which greatly increases the amount of pressure an arch can withstand.[sup][1] [http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/learning_modules/maths/02.TU.03/?section=4][/sup] If you've ever tried to break an egg via top-down pressure rather than cracking it on the side, you would have noticed that it is much harder than you would suspect. If you combine this factor with the fact that eggs are sold in cardboard cartons that are both strong and further dissipate the force from the one egg to several, it should become obvious that eggs are much harder to break than is commonly believed.

But rationality exits the moment eggs enter into consideration. It is almost as if people are hardwired to protect them, which in a way makes sense. Eggs are symbols of fertility and life, something that society has raised us to respect; other examples are the ways in which pregnant women are treated, or newly born babies are handled. They represent vast potential, even if in the case of the produce eggs that potential is purely culinary related.

But this is not the only way in which eggs have a part in our society. Easter has just come and gone, and with it the sale of millions of dollars worth of chocolate in the shape of eggs. The shape of the egg was chosen for its symbolism of fertility, with several religions and cultures believing that the egg was the origin of life.[sup][2] [http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventions/a/easter][/sup]

With this holiday, I noticed a similar behaviour in regards to the chocolate eggs as to their non-chocolate counterparts. They must be protected, can not be damaged. The obsession over these reproductive bodies borders on the compulsive, which struck me as interesting.

So I'd like to ask you, fellow Escapists, just how much your eggs mean to you. Do you care if they are put in a less than secure position? Better yet, would you allow a chicken to rest on a carton of your eggs. I know several people who wouldn't.

 

[Cesasse]

Egg: Thrown out the window.
Egg: Shattered.


My psyche just kicked the shit out of that egg.

Also, RE4: Eggs are THROWABLE WEAPONS.

 

[iJosh]

Same in RE5. Rotten eggs pwn zombies with one hit.

But seriously, I <3 eggs in the morning. Great source of protein.

 

[Ushario]

I wouldn't put a frozen chicken on top of a carton of eggs, for one thing the balance of it, for another the frozen chicken weighs more and if dropped onto the eggs it could potentially crack one or more. You are right though I guess.

People just dont want something they've just paid for which is inherently 'fragile', and lets face it eggs are fragile when it comes to receiving a sudden impact, being broken.
The case of the bread on top of the eggs is silly and I wouldnt blink at that personally.

I'm surprised at the amount of thought you put into this. I know when I'm bored at work I tend to ponder things as well, so I can sort of understand.

Anyway, I love eggs, very tasty. I work out a lot but dont use protein shakes, I eat lots of eggs.

 

[Caimekaze]

I wouldn't put a frozen chicken on top of a carton of eggs, for one thing the balance of it, for another the frozen chicken weighs more and if dropped onto the eggs it could potentially crack one or more. You are right though I guess.

People just dont want something they've just paid for which is inherently 'fragile', and lets face it eggs are fragile when it comes to receiving a sudden impact, being broken.
The case of the bread on top of the eggs is silly and I wouldnt blink at that personally.

I'm surprised at the amount of thought you put into this. I know when I'm bored at work I tend to ponder things as well, so I can sort of understand.

Anyway, I love eggs, very tasty. I work out a lot but dont use protein shakes, I eat lots of eggs.

Hey, I work the late shift and there is a lot of free time between customers.
And it was my three hundredth post, I wanted to do something nice with it. I'm planning on more of these, but not entirely on eggs.

 

[Krakyn]

I liek eggs.

 

[Monocle Man]

Eggs are delicious, that's one thing.
I always put the carton of eggs at the bottom of the bag, mostly because the weight of the carton will most likely deform my bread, tomatoes, rolls or any other soft thing I'd like to eat intact.

And if at a store cartons of eggs are stabled on each other reaching nearly as heigh as my head, then I doubt a little bread, chicken or a few kilograms of sugar is going to harm them.

I don't eat much chocolate eggs, though. I'm more for the chocolate figurines, those usually are pretty fragile (unless they're filled with praline, those can stand a few drops and falls)

 

[-bladerunner-]

Yay for eggs! Mmmmm.... fried eggs and toast or boiled eggs and soldiers. Anyway back to the topic. My eggs must be kept safe..(sounded a bit wrong) it is an impulse I guess for people. I was a "checkout guy" and i pondered much more boring things than this.

I like the amount f thought put in however eggs are not the best of topics, but good explaination of your argument, the theories surrounding eggs have become a bit more interesting.

 

[traceur_]

never seen someone philosophise eggs before. I guess you're right, though eggs are my second favourite weapon, with a five year old child being my favourite weapon.

 

[Saul B]

The arch is strong, but you are forgetting one thing.

I once placed a loaf of bread on top of a carton of eggs, sparking a panic in my customer who promptly proclaimed that I must place the eggs on top of the bread, or they will break. I tried to explain the logic behind my decision, but she did not believe me.

If the eggs were dropped, or exposed to some other sudden impact, the arch would be far more likely to crack or break, especially with the weight of the aforementioned of bread. However, if the eggs were placed on top of the bread, they would be somewhat cushioned from the fall. As there is a reasonable liklihood that there would be impact from below from dropping as oppose to from above, there is some method in your customer's madness.
Just saying

 

[Caimekaze]

If the eggs were dropped, or exposed to some other sudden impact, the arch would be far more likely to crack or break, especially with the weight of the aforementioned of bread. However, if the eggs were placed on top of the bread, they would be somewhat cushioned from the fall. As there is a reasonable liklihood that there would be impact from below from dropping as oppose to from above, there is some method in your customer's madness.
Just saying

Oh, I know that. But her concern was that the weight of the bread would crack the eggs, which struck me as rather odd.

 

[Caimekaze]

Admittedly, my point of view in this manner is biased somewhat due to the fact that we are constantly told to conserve bags at work, and how rude some people can be over their eggs.

 

[oktalist]

An exceptionally clever and illuminating post.

An eggs-eptionally feather and illuminate-wing roost! -Pliny [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMWRNJ#Histor.27s_Eye] Harris [http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BFEA1D335ED0243F]

I said egg!

Also Simon Quinlank [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_of_Fun#Major_characters] Egg Smashing [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63I6i2kztcU].

 

[Caimekaze]

An exceptionally clever and illuminating post.

An eggs-eptionally feather and illuminate-wing roost! -Pliny [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMWRNJ#Histor.27s_Eye] Harris [http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BFEA1D335ED0243F]

I said egg!

Also Simon Quinlank [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_of_Fun#Major_characters] Egg Smashing [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63I6i2kztcU].

Thank you for that; it gave me a good chuckle.

 

[Simalacrum]

eggs are nice, but i've never considered them in the factor of "the source of life" for one, i know that even if it were fertile, and a chic came from the egg, chances are we'd eat the result of life as well anyway. to me they're just another food source.

 

[LewsTherin]

Eggs are delicious.

 

[Flour]

Also, RE4: Eggs are THROWABLE WEAPONS.

An egg will also kill a chicken. Possibly birds and fish too(never tried it).

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

I dont eat eggs by themselves, I use many in the process of making baked goods but i never eat them alone. Aside from that I find this whole idea you put forward very interesting, the steriotype of the immensly fragile egg has been accepted as fact and because of that people are more protective of them. Perhaps they are mearly cautious, after all regardless of this weight distribution factor they will break with a sudden impact. However when you think about it this in itself is illogical. Large impacts usually come from the top or bottoms of bags, when they are dropped or something is dropped on them. Shouldn't eggs go in the middle between loaves of bread or other soft things to keep them safest. Eggs represent life in its purest and most vulnerable form, people subconciously wish to protect that, unless purposly intending to brake the egg for any reason. The fact the egg is empty of life is irrelivant, its a symbol and an idea that makes people protective.

 

[Caimekaze]

eggs are nice, but i've never considered them in the factor of "the source of life" for one, i know that even if it were fertile, and a chic came from the egg, chances are we'd eat the result of life as well anyway. to me they're just another food source.

I dont eat eggs by themselves, I use many in the process of making baked goods but i never eat them alone. Aside from that I find this whole idea you put forward very interesting, the steriotype of the immensly fragile egg has been accepted as fact and because of that people are more protective of them. Perhaps they are mearly cautious, after all regardless of this weight distribution factor they will break with a sudden impact. However when you think about it this in itself is illogical. Large impacts usually come from the top or bottoms of bags, when they are dropped or something is dropped on them. Shouldn't eggs go in the middle between loaves of bread or other soft things to keep them safest. Eggs represent life in its purest and most vulnerable form, people subconciously wish to protect that, unless purposly intending to brake the egg for any reason. The fact the egg is empty of life is irrelivant, its a symbol and an idea that makes people protective.

It's nice to see a variety of opinions here, it keeps things interesting.

I don't have any strong connections to eggs, partly because cooking them is good in the effort/reward ratio and partly because a lot of symbolism to me seems barren, no pun intended.

 

[oktalist]

I'm fascinated by the symbolism of the phallic Washington Monument visible from the Oval Office (oval of course comes from the latin ovum meaning egg).