“E” is for Eggroll #AtoZChallenge @AprilA2Z

Eggrolls.  There are Eggrolls, and then there are Egg Rolls.  Being Easter, people think of Easter Egg Rolls on the White House Lawn.  However, on The Chinese Quest, and also being Jews, we think of Eggrolls that come with Combination Platters!

A meal in the palm of your hand! What could be more convenient?  You can carry it anywhere you go.  It won’t leak like a taco, it won’t drip like an enchilada.  It’s THE perfect food.  It is, of course, an Eggroll!

And it doesn’t have to even be eaten hot.  I think nothing more than a midnight snack, straight out of the refrigerator, of an eggroll that I couldn’t finish with my take out Chinese food combination platter.

You don’t need to worry about a plate.  It’s convenient and saves time.  You don’t have to heat it up as noted above, and there’s nothing to clean up after you’re done!

What could be more perfect that an eggroll?  TWO!  No really, one is enough.  It’s just the right size.  A perfect snack.  You can grab it on your way out the door and eat it in your car.  You can eat it as you walk.  You can even eat is as you talk (though not with your mouth full PLEASE!).

What is in an Eggroll?

In American Chinese cuisine, an eggroll is a savory dish typically served as an appetizer similar in concept to what is commonly known as Spring roll in Asia but made with flour dough wrap instead and deep fried or baked resulting in a crispy product.  Do you know what that magical ingredients that are contained in eggrolls?  I’m glad you asked.  Inside an eggroll you will typically find:

• Cabbage
• Celery
• Onion
• Garlic
• Bean Sprouts
• Pork

What, no egg?

There’s also spring rolls.  A more authentic Chinese type of “roll”.  But, I find those too crunchy to munch on without a plate or at the very least, a napkin to catch the falling schmutz.  So, for Mee, it’s an eggroll to take on the run, when I want to have some fun.  And a warm one, or a cold one, just makes me happy!

By the way, in Montreal, Canada, open-ended egg rolls are a Jewish-Chinese fusion dish. They can be either kosher certified or merely kosher style.  Who knew?  Now, we know!

The Price of an Eggroll

Are Eggrolls worth $50?  Would you do this for $50?

“You walk over to that table, you pick up an eggroll, you don’t say anything. You eat it, say thank you very much, wipe your mouth, walk away, I give you fifty bucks.”

“What are they gonna do?”

“They won’t do anything. In fact, you’ll be giving them a story to tell for the rest of their lives.”

“Fifty bucks? You’ll give me fifty bucks?”

– From Seinfeld “The Chinese Restaurant” episode

We hope that you’ve enjoyed the first five articles in our Blogging A-Z April Challenge.  Stay tuned for more.  Thank you all for your comments and encouragement.

As we say on The Chinese Quest, “Let the Good Times, and the egg, Roll!”  <rim shot>

Humbly submitted for your consumption,

—Mee Magnum  (“Chop!  Chop!”)