Saturday, June 20, 2009

Assimilation


Thanks for the prompt of Assimilation from Rooted. Please visit One Single Impression for all the singular impressions.


The image of folding egg whites came to me as a memory. My mother loved to bake. I would watch as she ritualistically blended the ingredients together. The purpose of folding the frothy egg whites into the sturdy batter is to retain the air you have beaten into the egg whites. This makes your recipe light and fluffy.

My dad was given a new name when he crossed the border. He was thrilled. He wanted desperately to blend in. He never did. What he kept was beautiful.




Folding in egg whites

Select very fresh eggs

let them rest

at room temperature

Make sure your bowl

is clean and dry

Separate the yolk

carefully

do not discard

as you can use

for mayonnaise

or custard at a later time

be sure not

to allow any yellow flecks

or shell pieces

to infiltrate

this takes practice

in Julia’s kitchen

the very best chefs

can strain

the white

through

their fingers!

beat the whites

until they form

soft peaks

transfer

one third of the

whipped egg white

into the prepared batter

and mix it in

this will make it easier

for the rest

of the egg whites

to be absorbed


(Remember

to always fold the lighter ingredient

into the heavier ingredient.)


tilt the bowl

toward you

using a spatula

or flat wooden spoon

gently turn half the mixture

over onto the other half

continue to do this

until the whites are incorporated

into the batter

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very charming poetry.. I specially liked the build up to the poem!

Gemma Wiseman said...

What an interesting parallel between egg whites and your dad trying to assimilate!

anthonynorth said...

Cleverly done. Light with a general mixing of some deep thought.

the walking man said...

I don't know how this relates to Dancing Days by Led Zeppelin but it sure reads well to Jon Bonhams drumming.

sgreerpitt said...

Wow! It just goes to show how a talented writer can turn the most common of everyday things into beautiful verse that is layered with meaning.

Luther James Spells said...

You've made assimilation into a good word for me, ever so briefly. If only you could be a constant reminder of the positive sides of perception for me. Alas I only feel the negatives as I sit alone.

Quiet Paths said...

Working with egg whites IS like living or writing poetry even. Very lovely.

spacedlaw said...

If humans could do the same thing...

Tammie Lee said...

Why thank you for this wonderful guidance, as well as sharing a bit of your history!

SandyCarlson said...

Fascinating! What a great metaphor. I am contemplating folding the light into the heavy ingredients.

Sherri B. said...

This was very clever...and your comment about your father was so poignant.

Pam said...

This is a wonderfully sensuous poem-- I could taste the lines.

gautami tripathy said...

Like it very much. It kind of speaks to me..

stolen from the air

Dr.John said...

Tasty bit of poetry with helpful hints for life.

Maggie said...

Your poem made me smile as I recalled the care my mom used in blending her ingredients in baking wonderful treats.

Tumblewords: said...

I do remember this happening often in my younger days and still find it fascinating...Nice work!

Jim said...

Hi Gabrielle, this is good considering that you would have us compare the blending of egg white to the assimilation of your dad.
Appropriate also is Father's day week. You make me wonder who gave him the his name?

My greatgrandfather changed our family name after having to fend off biased groups with his shotgun. I don't know how he did it, but my grandfather blended in very nicely.
You know, part of it is the part of the country one comes to. No matter if it is nationality, race, employment, or ??? And I can't always figure a reason for it. I won't elaborate except to say that when I lived in El Paso I was amazed of how nicely 'everyone' lived together, it was all very mixed up and well assimilated.
..
On the comment posting page I clicked "Show Original Post" because from the other's comments I thought there may have been something hidden here.
You might want to see what it looks like. :-)
..
I have a daughter-in-law from Venezuela and a son-in-law from Trinidad. They have assimilated to some extent although not to my expectations and hopes.
..

Jeeves said...

Nice poetry....

zoya gautam said...

.. creative and interesting ..

Patti said...

What a wonderfully written metaphor of assimilation! I loved the explanation, your thoughts on your father, and the picture is gorgeous~

Edward S Gault said...

I like the idea of using a recipe to illustrate assimilation.
Nice poem.

gabrielle said...

This topic brought up old memories and mixed emotions. Never cared for angels food cake, fluffy and bland. And oh the eggs suffer.
Many thanks to everyone for visiting and leaving your impressions. I've so enjoyed assimilating your poems.