Eggs Benedict
by Ken Pullen
ACP — A Crooked Path
Sunday, July 21st, 2019
Good morning. What a fine day the Lord has made! Before getting into my car with my wife and driving to our home church to hear the Word of God and worship Him in thanks for His Son, Jesus, I had some things on my mind. Being hungry to hear the Bible-centered preaching at our home church got me thinking about…Eggs Benedict.
One of my favorite dishes is Eggs Benedict. While there are a few claims floating around regarding the origin of the dish the one I am most inclined to believe for its origin is from Lemuel Benedict, who fighting a hangover walked into the Waldorf Astoria hotel in 1894 and ordered buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon and hollandaise sauce. The maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky was so impressed with the creation he put it on the Waldorf Astoria’s breakfast and lunch menu, substituting an English muffin for the buttered toast, and Canadian bacon for the crisp cured variety. Another restaurant in New York City claims it had Eggs a la Benedick on its menu in 1894 but that does not prove they created the dish.
What does a breakfast dish have to do with God? Jesus? The Holy Spirit? The Holy Scriptures? Christian faith? Today’s world? Anything other than a breakfast or brunch dish you either like, dislike or never had?
Everything.
The details of everything is where the pieces all come together to make the overall picture. Had Rembrandt used only one brush, one color upon his palette, one stroke upon canvas a trip to the art museum would be rather futile (unless you’re one that is into all the modern dung called “art” and then this column is of particular purpose for you). This walk in life for everyone whether young, old, tall or short, married or unmarried, disciple of Christ’s or heretic and unbeliever is a walk one step at a time. No exceptions. No exemptions. Think of each step, each choice, every event from every person every day working on the canvas, the plate being completed to reveal the finished result eventually.
“I thought this was about Eggs Benedict and breakfast and you got me hungry and now went off on this tangent?”
Everything today is represented in the current state of Eggs Benedict. Remember — one of my all-time favorite dishes. Ever since I first tasted the dish over 50 years ago. I know Eggs Benedict.
Back when I first tasted the incredible nothing else like it delight a person could walk into many restaurants, whether dive or haughty and all parts between and find more times than not, if that establishment was making breakfasts or serving lunch, or brunch, that most wonderful of collaborations of chewy yet with crispness toasted English muffin, salty and oh-so-perfectly matched to it all Canadian bacon between the toasty, chewy muffin and the perfectly poached eggs then for completion before knife and fork gently revealed the sunshine rich yolks it was all bathed in the velevty yellow wonderfulness called Hollandaise. REAL Hollandaise, which, sadly most have never had the experience of tasting — but the real deal made from scratch the proper way is unlike any sauce on earth. And the perfect finish for Eggs Benedict.
Herein lies the point.
Walk into many restaurants, be they in a hotel, free standing, dive, haughty or anything between these days serving breakfast, lunch or brunch and good luck finding Eggs Benedict on the menu.
And herein lies the greater point.
If you do see Eggs Benedict on the menu? Carefully read what the version consists of (if unfamiliar or old and forgetful such as I am refer to what really constitutes genuine Eggs Benedict above). For what you will most likely find wherever you happen to be is anything but Eggs Benedict — if you can ever catch a glance of those words on a menu.
The people of the world are infected. Most are very troubled. Extremely ill. Mortally ill. Cannot accept what was, what is and are convinced all things must change and they either discount or disregard history holding it in contempt if they have any hold of the word to begin with. Holding rather to notion being repeated like a droning mantra while drummers assembled pound out a monotonous headache inducing beat to make the world a better place means all things must be scrapped and changed. Into whatever revolting, unfounded foolish concoction they think up and stamp as valid. No matter if this perverts, corrupts, confuses or makes all sense, every foundation null and void. Those who can’t pause long enough to take a breath hell bent on creating their Utopian world believe all things which were must be destroyed, and or perverted and changed to such degree to perhaps retain a name but resembling nothing that name was created for and meant for however long it had existed.
And Eggs Benedict is a great place to begin understanding the great erosion, perversion, corruption, rebellion, sedition, self-indulgence, losing of sense, losing of tradition, changing the meaning of words, changing anything and everything to fit their whims of the moment this massive, growing movement of walking in darkness evil is casting this world under. (A run on sentence to match the running on and off of Hollandaise on the perfectly poached eggs!)
In the past five years I’ve found a number of restaurants, surprisingly, not many but enough, that still do have Eggs Benedict on their menu.
I’ve seen the following descriptions on the restaurants menus. All of these under the subject heading “Eggs Benedict”:
1.) Eggs any style on toasted muffin with salmon, slice of cheddar cheese and our house sauce.
2.) Poached eggs on marbled rye with turkey, Applewood bacon, pepper jack cheese, cheese sauce.
3.) Poached or sunny side up eggs on choice of toasted bagel or muffin with your choice of bacon, chargrilled chicken, roast turkey with choice of cheese and creamy sauce.
And a few others. But you get the idea. The above may sound close, sound familiar, sound like something known that existed but when sitting at the table, ordering, and cutting into the above three options, and others not listed, they do not even come close to what the genuine article does to satisfy, feed and fill.
Oh, I’ve on rare occasion actually found a restaurant where their menu reads “Eggs Benedict” and the contents are — toasted English muffin, poached eggs, Canadian bacon and Hollandaise — and they will charge like $14.95 and have the audacity to serve an insipid couple of pieces of toasted on what? Number 1 for 10 seconds on the broken toaster in your kitchen? And over cooked poached egss, thus no poached eggs — just hard yolks no pouring golden sunshine slowly mingling on the plate unifying everything, and cold Canadian bacon with some dull, lifeless, quick and easy rather than taking the time to make it right yellow thick disgusting sauce on top which isn’t even a fourth cousin nine times removed from Hollandaise.
And I’m not a picky eater. Not even close.
But if you’re going to say something? Call something something? Take a name of something and use it? Identify yourself with that name? Such as “I’m a Christian,” or a “Christian church,” or profess to know and understand what discipleship means and entails, that a beacon of light is emitted through the darkness and there is a noticeable appearing different than what is surrounding us. Actually go to an accepted not corrupted and perverted by modern man version of God’s living Word and use it, pray upon it, study it daily.
So that what’s on your plate is real and different than most of the other patrons around you shoving their choices down their throats. You’re eating the real thing. You know the real thing. You’re nourished of the real thing. You are the real thing.
Too many are going to places taking what was and was true since its creation and believing they must make it trendy in order to attract. Make it look and sound alluring rather than nutritious and created as intended. Don’t think you can go to those places, eat what they are serving up molding, perverting, corrupting, altering, substituting or omitting whatever you dislike or like and you are going to receive what the original can offer to you on every level — as it was created — for a reason — BECAUSE THAT’S HOW IT WORKS and if anyone perverts, corrupts, alters, omits or adds in any fashion what they have instead is something that may suit their personal tastes, but be nothing close to its origin, the reason it was created in the beginning. Thus missing the nourishment, the delights, the unchangeable flavor, texture and construction — the TRUTH of the dish — the MEAT of the dish — that got you through your morning, into your day, and you brought up in memory and held in your heart through the night.
Taking something with a solid foundation. Something good, pure, true of longstanding tradition everyone who has tasted of it since its inception knows its qualities, its flavors, its GOODNESS, its RIGHTNESS, its integrity, its TRUTH and in no way would ever even harbor the thought of perverting such and still calling it by its known, established name.
Or completely removing it and ignoring it. And if anyone asks? You tell them it’s outdated. It’s really unhealthy for them and why don’t they try _______________ instead which is so much better for them, and what people today want and like?
The place you go to eat. What you eat from and fill yourself with while there? The tables we each choose to either sit at or get up from not only determine our fullness and provisions for daily life — but determine the place we go to, what table we sit at for eternity.
The trendy passes and leads to some further erosion of what was true from the beginning totally removing all traces of what made what you think you’re eating what is was. The original made unrecognizable and a total mess. Unpalatable for the duration.
It may take some effort, it may take some time, but do not even enter the places serving up the corrupted variations and making the offerings there look beautiful and satisfying on the plate to the eye and ear, but when ingested lead to deadly food borne illness and death.
It takes committment, devotion, sincerity, time, humility, submission, obedience, discipline and all things now unpopular or removed from our modern-day society to walk the walk and talk the walk as a disciple of Jesus Christ the Lord, the Son of God.
But you will never again hunger. Never again need to wander searching for a better place to eat and be filled and satisfied.
Do what is necessary to sit at the right table, in the right place and eat of the right food.
For to do so means life. Life eternal.
To do otherwise means death. The second death. Eternal separation from God and Christ. Eternal hell fire which is very real — and more troublesome than acid reflex or heartburn from ordering something you should not have eaten and you knew it, but went ahead anyways.
Avoid the burn.
Eat of the right food available. Every day.
Excuse me, we must now leave to hear and eat of the true Word, the Bible-true teaching and preaching of the living Word of God to be nourished and feed this fine day the Lord has made.
I pray you are a hungered to do the same.
For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:17 — King James Version
No Other Gospel
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:6-10 — English Standard Version
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve.
Romans 16:17-18 — English Standard Version
As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
2 Corinthians 11:10-15 — English Standard Version
A Call to Persevere
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Hebrews 10:19-27 — King James Version
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