Scrambled Eggs

Ordinary Joe wins back his super cook wife by “trying once” and some fancy food presentation

Scrambled Eggs was the result of reading and being inspired by an article titled Feast for the senses: Cook up a master dish in the New Scientist, a scientific magazine.

I wanted to explore what my characters could do if they knew how to present food. James discovers the power of presentation by accident and it helps him achieve what he craves for. Several chefs have begun to experiment with food presentation and marketers have been using this skill for some time. This sort of presentation is becoming increasingly common now. The role of music and ambiance in influencing our mood has also been well established. See these links in Science Direct and Scientific American for more information.

James walked towards his car which was parked at the back of the hotel envying Wayne and Marge’s shopping plans. Most men would consider that torture, but James longed to do something—anything—with Andrea. He had elected not to use his reserved parking since it was at the bottom most level of the three-level basement parking. Customers got the best places. When he settled in the driver’s seat, he grabbed his phone and his fingers automatically flipped through the touchscreen. A phone rang once on the other side before an automatic voice said, “This number has been switched off. The subscriber is temporarily unavailable.”

There was no way she would allow herself to be out of touch with her press contacts. She had to be using a second phone. He started the car and drove the three blocks to his house, 5 Spruce Lane. All the streets in this part of Greenwill were named after trees.

When he arrived home, he opened the fridge and stared into the abyss. Only one thing he could do. He picked up the phone and punched a familiar set of numbers.

“Pizza Express.”

“What’s today’s special?”

“Our deluxe with onions, pepperoni, and mushrooms, and honey garlic chicken wings for fifteen dollars.”

“Right, give me a medium and add a Diet Coke and a Mississippi mud pie.”

“Yes, sir.”

James gave his address and credit card information, then hung up.

While he waited for the delivery guy, James wandered around the house. Without Andrea and Susan, he didn’t know what to do with himself. Normally at this time he would be playing with Susan, and he and Andrea would catch up on the day’s happenings. Andrea and he had been trying to teach Susan to speak. She was making more sounds but had uttered no distinguishable words. She loved being carried and he would show her all the posters in her play room. He would point to each poster and speak the name of the character represented on it and where possible, make appropriate noises. He stared heartbroken into Susan’s play room which had been stripped clean—no wallpaper, no cot, no shelves, no Winnie the Pooh posters. The walls were plain white—as empty as his life had become.