A good egg can keep a resident’s sunny side up

In my four-plus years at this facility, I have never seen fried eggs served. I know the residents who love them are disappointed. We have scrambled eggs, cheesy scrambled eggs, egg bakes and, sometimes, hard-boiled eggs. On a couple occasions, we were served egg white rounds mistakenly sent by the food company. Although they are more healthful, I have to admit they are not a taste sensation. Without pepper or some type of spice, they taste very bland.

At a previous facility where I lived, pasteurized eggs were used to make fried eggs. The dietary manager there brought up the cost of pasteurized eggs at monthly Food Committee meetings. Eventually, due to cutbacks, residents could only have fried eggs three days a week.

Since I do not care for “dippy” fried eggs  (soft yolks you can dip toast in), it was a nonissue for me. A couple of the cooks at my former facility, however, used pasteurized eggs to prepare my scrambled eggs as a treat. The taste was different, and I enjoyed the change.

The other day, my nurse was organizing my meds and talking to me about how good a dippy fried egg tastes. At lunch, two of my tablemates discussed how much they would love to eat eggs prepared that way. Because it is winter, residents may be craving them as comfort food.

Even though liquid eggs in a carton are usually used, some residents will live here for the rest of their lives without the opportunity to enjoy fried eggs. Though they are not essential to good nutrition, perhaps the budget could be massaged to allow those who love fried eggs to have them once in a while as a special treat.

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