Sunday, April 6, 2014

Over Easy

Most people who knew my dad, City Councilman David Cohen, were aware that he was a tireless advocate for the people of Philadelphia.

But what I’m sure almost no one knew was that he made the best sunny-side up or over-easy eggs in the world.

After hearing me brag about my dad’s eggs time and time again, my husband asked what he did that was so special.  So, I decided to show him, with 2 eggs, to the best of my ability:  fairly high flame, lots of butter in a hot pan, let these babies sizzle away till the liquid part of the eggs is gone, flip them perhaps (depending upon the diner’s preference), sizzle again for about 10 or 20 seconds or so and VOILA.   

My dad passed away in 2005, and I don’t think I’ve had an egg since without thinking about how much he relished his morning routine.  It started very early – somewhere between 5 and 6 am every day – and went on for hours.  It involved way more than food, too. 

He read the newspapers from cover to cover, and back then when I lived at home, there were at least 3 delivered to our house daily:  The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Bulletin (which I think was an evening paper) and the Daily News.  These dailies were in addition to a bunch of other weeklies, such as The Philadelphia Tribune, the Jewish Exponent, the Northeast Times, and many more.  While reading, he always had KYW blasting in the background, often accompanied by long bouts of static, which never seemed to faze him (yet clearly irked me, as I can still feel my twinge of annoyance some 35 years later).

My senses were on high alert from so many competing sights, sounds and smells in the kitchen, up to about 9 or 10 am. each and every morning.   My dad would bounce around from station to station in his robe and slippers, starting with making freshly-squeezed orange juice for my mom as well as her personal favorite, soft boiled eggs (yuck), which he too might have, or not.  Sometimes he would add bacon to the menu, which was as crispy as it could be without disintegrating, the darkest toast possible, freshly-brewed coffee and always his staples:  a bowl of Corn Flakes, oatmeal and/or Cream of Wheat, and Tang. 

Of the 4 Cohen siblings, I’m the only one who hasn’t followed in my dad’s footsteps by entering the political world, but I’d bet I’m the only one who has been able to come close to bringing this particular legacy of his back to life.

For that, I thank my husband, who started as a most devoted student and has nearly perfected this dish with the purchase of a cast iron skillet and, most importantly, determination to make me the best Dave Cohen eggs he can make.


And when he slides them on to my plate, I am in heaven.  

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