Eggs, Ears And Bankruptcy
When I moved to the US some 9 or so years ago I received quite an unpleasant shock soon after my arrival. I landed on these shores in February and it was cold and snowy, and then came March and at the end of March a long weekend ……or so I thought. In the UK from whence I came, we have similar public holidays to the US, except of course for a few obvious like Independence Day (duh) and Thanksgiving and so I fully expected we, with we being the US, had Good Friday and Easter Monday off too.
Depending on your personal views this is around Passover, Spring Equinox or just another long weekend in the calendar falling mid March through to end of April. Whilst I was a tad disappointed about not having these two additional days off work, I was very surprised. Religion is after all why the USA was founded by those Fathers and is, to my mind, much more evident over here. The UK has a culture of not discussing money, religion or politics at dinner parties, with friends, at the gymn, with the taxi driver, in fact never. I believe it was feared in days gone by these were far too contentious topics to raise in polite society. So I didn’t really feel able to ask why Easter wasn’t celebrated here, when religion appears to be forefront in much of US life.
I however, was mourning this for a rather different, perhaps some would say shallower reason, than religious devotion.
Eggs! Specifically chocolate eggs. Delicious, yummy, extravagant chocolatey eggs that have very little to do with your beliefs but everything to do with celebrating Easter in the UK. The shelves at this time of year are packed with them. Our eggs are typically are approximately 6” high & 2.5” at the widest point, milk or dark chocolate, hollow and sometimes with brand goodies in them. For example you can buy Kit-Kat eggs, Snickers eggs, Mars Bar eggs and so on and so forth.
And I’m sorry but I miss them. I miss cracking open a chocolate egg and seeing the individual chocolates inside or biting into a caramel centred mini-egg or putting out a bon-bon dish of pastel mini eggs. I like chocolate eggs and I miss them. Each year around this time I feel strangely empty and unfulfilled. Even just eating a shed load of chocolate bars doesn’t really help, it’s the eggs.
So I apologize if you were hoping this post might turn into an in depth theological discussion and you find me wittering on about chocolate eggs. I know, I’m sorry but it’s a childhood thing that was just too good to give up!
However, do not despair one can purchase, at vast expense, an imported British chocolate egg from one of the many websites and then I can smugly crack open an egg, lounging in my luxury silk robe, whilst I am waiting for the lamb roast to cook, right around 20 April. Will I still feel slightly cheated? Possibly, but then it’s probably best for my waistline, complexion etc that I don't stuff myself with a ton of chocolatey yumminess.
Look Gorgeous, Feel Fabulous - Sophie
P.S. For those who are wondering, no I am not a “bite the ears off a chocolate bunny” kinda gal either – shame on you!!