Superstorm Sandy: Crumbled Eggs For Crumbled Trees

A month ago today, the city I love and live in was hit by one of the worst storms in its history. Superstorm Sandy caused severe flooding that destroyed parts of New York City, forcing people to evacuate their homes. It also caused an unprecedented shutdown of the subway system that connects the boroughs.

Fort Greene, the part of Brooklyn I live in, was not affected as badly as other parts of the city. But it was evident how harsh the storm had been once I saw the uprooted trees in my neighborhood the next morning and after I heard first-hand accounts of complete power outages in lower Manhattan and of the extreme damage in other parts of the city. While my husband and I were fortunate enough to not lose power or running water, we had no real access to Manhattan for the first few days following the storm, so we chose to volunteer at a temporary shelter for people evacuated from hospitals and other shelters.

Within my first hour at the shelter, I met and assisted an elderly lady named Eileen. As I helped her walk to her bed from the dining area, I asked her how she was doing. She cheerfully and unexpectedly replied, “I’m doing great! I’m so happy now.” For a second I wondered if she understood what I had asked her or if she was fully aware of the reality of her situation. I gently asked her what was making her so happy and she replied, “My shoes match!”

See, Eileen had lost her left shoe during her rushed transfer to the shelter and was given a temporary shoe that didn’t match her other one. After a day of walking around the shelter with mismatched shoes, she chose a pair of brown shoes, albeit men’s, from the donation pile. “Shoes that don’t match just don’t look good” she shook her head.

When I came home that night, I ate a light meal since I wasn’t craving any of my usual decadent ones. When I woke up the next morning, I wanted something simple and nourishing. I remembered the breakfast that my mum would make for me while I’d get ready for school as a kid – a perfectly boiled egg, mashed with a fork and garnished with salt, pepper, radishes and parsley. There’s something very nurturing about this simple crumbled egg mixed with the juicy radishes and fresh parsley.

As I boiled the eggs, I knew I had learned an important lesson the day before. Eileen and her shoes had given me perspective on “happiness”. She made me realize how lucky and grateful I am for my life and the people in it, and she had made me appreciate the simpler things.

Now a month later, the city is still trying to recover. The current death toll is at 125 people (60 in NY) and the estimated damages are $62 billion dollars. People are still homeless and many are without basic supplies and electricity or heat. It has been amazing to see people (NYers and non-NYers) come together to help in any way they can and I encourage you to do the same now or in the weeks to come.

Here are a couple of links for information on how to help. I’ll add more as I hear about them, otherwise a quick Google search will also turn up other alternatives. If you know of any other ways to help, please add the information in the comments below.

• Occupy Sandy Recovery
• New York Cares
• Sandy Relief
• Post-Apocalyptic Hurricane Sandy Resource Center: a Facebook group created by my friend Jason Kapler which started out as an open space for friends to share lighthearted banter and which quickly turned into one of the most valuable resources for people dealing with the storm.

Appreciating the simpler things in life,
~ Anjali

A printable list of ingredients and directions are at the end of this post,
along with an image of this Perfect Morsel.

Step 1: Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover the eggs. Add a pinch of salt to make the shells easier to peel. Bring to a boil over high heat (approx 10 mins).

Step 2: Allow the water to boil for a minute. Switch off the flame, take the pan off the stove, cover and set aside for 12 mins.

Step 3: As the eggs continue to cook in the hot water, finely chop the radishes and parsley to desired size.

Step 4: Once the eggs are cooked, rinse them in cold water for a few seconds to allow them to cool down just a little so they’re easier to peel. I usually place them in a bowl of ice-water at this stage for other boiled egg recipes but since I want these eggs to be warm, I skip that step and gingerly peel them. (i.e. I grin and bear it).

Step 5: Place a peeled egg on a plate and use a knife to cut it into quarters. Using the back of a fork, mash the egg till the egg is crumbly.

Step 6: Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper along with 1/2 teaspoon (or more) of the chopped radishes and parsley.

Step 7: Serve the eggs on their own or on top of warm buttered slices of bread. Sometimes, when I’m in the mood, I roll the eggs up in tortillas instead.

Here’s a fork-full of these nurturing eggs that are a great way to start any day.