Skip to main content

That costs an Egg! (Or, ¡Eso cuesta un huevo!)

The cachacos, people born and raised in the Colombian capital city, Bogotá, have very peculiar comparisons to eggs. For instance, when they want to say that something is extremely cheap, they say, ¡Eso está a precio de huevo!, that has the price of an egg. But when they want to say that something is extremely expensive, they say, ¡Eso cuesta un huevo!, that costs an egg. I think I have to ask whether in both cases they are referring to the same kind of egg; or whether in one case they are talking about an egg, that which is laid by a hen, and in the other case they are talking about an egg, one of two which hang in between mens' legs.

In any case, in Germany an egg costs an egg. Why must they be so expensive? And what is this whole 50 cent difference between 10 eggs from an egg-industry, and 6 eggs from bio-hens, which are free to roam about? (The latter is more expensive.) And what is with the whole dozen eggs concept, or lack thereof? Why won't the Germans sell me twelve eggs? A dozen eggs is a perfect count for one week. But ten? Ten eggs? What am I supposed to do with that?

I don't really like to complain about my new country--as I said before, I am a fervient believer in the "If you don't like it, move back!" principle. And I love it here. But eggs--man, what is your deal, German Leute?!

Aside from the eggs, living in Germany does not cost an egg. It is actually quite inexpensive (if you earn and spend in Euros, and if you shop in the cheap stores, and if you buy store brands). We bought one month's worth of groceries yesterday for 31 Euros. That was including my 10 eggs.

Another great thing about German cost of living, is that one's eating habits change as the seasons change. For instance, this is no longer cherry season (insert sad face), but Clementine (mandarin) season is just beginning! This is no longer apple season (again, insert sad face), but orange season is just beginning! It's actually quite interesting, because it keeps you craving for new fruits all year long.

Now that my course is over, I get to spend more time at home. With so much time on my hands, I've actually picked up cooking (and so far I've only intoxicated myself; I spoke to Honey two hours ago, and he is healthy. It might be my gallbladderlessness that is affected...) and I think I'm doing just fine. I've made a couple of Colombian dishes, and my next meal will be pork in mushroom sauce. Wish me luck. And with the price for food here, it will not cost me an egg!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Orientierungskurs (Or, Intensive German Culture-Politics-History-Literature Crash Course for Foreign Dummies)

Recently (since January 1, 2005), the German government (the Bundestag) passed a law (Gesetz), stating that all Foreigners (Ausländer) wishing to stay in Deutschland for more than 12 months ought to go through an Orientierungskurs . This is a brilliant idea. I'd like to claim credit and say that Angie did read my blog and created this Deutschland für Idiots course for me. But, alas, I cannot but say the truth. The Germans are a first-world nation because they think of everything. Like we Latinamericans say, mientras Usted apenas va llegando, yo ya fui y volví, something along the lines of, while you are now only arriving, I have already come and gone back (ok, maybe today is not my best day for translations...). All the blogs I've posted about my lack of knowledge of the Deutsch system have come to an end, because after these 9 days (4 down, 5 more to go) I will know everything worth knowing about the Deutsch. Should you have a question (besonders, die Deutschen), I have ...

Deutschland for Idiots (or, Letter to Angela Merkel)

Dear Angie , You're awesome. And your country is awesome too. I am so grateful that you, personally, took the time to evaluate my visa application and decided to approve my request. I think it's super that you have this tremendous girl-power and that you single-handedly manage to run this amazing country. A country so rich that can close every single store  on Sundays, and throw clients out of stores when the clock indicates closing time. I don't say this in a pejorative way, not at all. I am actually quite impressed that your economy is so  strong that you really can manage to close every single commercial establishment for one day, every week. That is, 52 days a year; that is, almost two months. In my country, we not only open every day, but we stay open until late and when the clock strikes closing time, we prefer to lock customers in until they buy something--never kick them out. Maybe (in retrospective, and from an outside perspective) your country is so rich because...

Find someone who makes you laugh

When I was 16, I had a boyfriend. One of my mom's friends, very close to the family and for whom I cared very much, once asked me (in front of my mom) if said boyfriend made me laugh. In trying to be bold and mature and, well, in trying to surprise and scare my mom, I said, "Well, yeah, kinda. But most importantly, he is awesome in bed!" I was lying, in case anyone is freaking out. My mom was (and probably is again now) freaking out. Her friend simply said, "Whatever, that is not important. What is important is that he makes you laugh. That is the most important thing: to be with someone who makes you laugh." This is perhaps the best piece of advice I have ever been given. Be with someone who makes you laugh . Because, the thing is, this not only refers to sex partners. This is true for life, and for everyone in your life. In my life. In counting my friends, I realize we laugh a lot together. Bear in mind that most my friends are English majors, like me; so ou...