Banter Bites

Talking About Eggs Is Eggshausting

Forget about what came first … the chicken or the egg. What about the sticker shock at egg prices?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: One of the last things Red ever thought about when grocery shopping was the price of eggs which, until recently, was always one of the most economical (and versatile) grocery items she bought; while for Black, she might not have noticed the dramatic price increase except for the seemingly endless articles.


It's not that Black’s totally clueless when she goes grocery shopping, but since she lives alone, it’s easier to buy prepared foods, and the biggest part of her grocery bill is fresh flowers. Plus, a dozen fresh eggs last her months since she also buys hard-boiled eggs that have already been shelled. However, Black was amused that the price of eggs resulted in the word “eggflation” and countless memes (her favorite is comparing the purchase of eggs to purchasing a car, although she finds it eggstreme since you can’t test-drive them first.)

She understands the reasons for the increase (inflation coupled with Avian flu) causing some people to find alternatives, whether plant-based or substitutes for cooking. But what she doesn’t understand is people who think they have figured out a way to “beat the system” and have run afoul (pun intended) of the law (border agents have discovered more people trying to smuggle in eggs from Mexico) or common sense,

This is basic grade school math, although I was tempted to call it eggonomics. People are buying chicks so they can raise them to supply eggs. Obviously, they have forgotten to calculate the cost per egg based on the cost of buying the chicks, all the materials needed, and raising them until they produce eggs. Of course, an eggception might be if you are buying them as pets.

Red’s been happy being a mom to labradoodles for years and has no desire to own chickens. And although she hasn’t been happy about the rapid increase in egg prices (but that’s been the case for most of her groceries over the last six months or so), there’s some “good news – bad news” about cholesterol in eggs,

I didn’t eat eggs as much as I might have because I was concerned about the cholesterol, but it turns out that eggs have gotten a bad rap all these years. Yes, egg whites have lots of protein. But let’s face it, the yummy part is the yolk. Now it turns out that the yolks on us since it has lots of nutrients and isn’t nearly as bad as we’ve thought.

So, what’s the bad news about that? Well, as Red’s committed to a healthier lifestyle (including a focus on being heart healthy), she’s now eating more eggs, and have you seen the price of eggs?!

This is one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites in large part because of Black’s “corny” puns, but also because fresh corn is a summer staple – whether cooked on the grill or in the microwave, whether eaten on its own or as a primary ingredient in refreshing summer salads


This may be one of the corniest things you’ll ever read.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s just a vegetable, so how can it possibly elicit such a strong reaction from Red, while, for Black, it’s more a source of amusement and even, it turns out, admiration?

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Think you can avoid artificial intelligence? Think again …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red already fights technology at every turn, preferring to keep her ostrich head in the sand, plus, she finds Artificial Intelligence (AI) scary; whereas Black knows ignoring reality merely postpones the inevitable, so she’s started playing with AI to understand it better …

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A man better known for his death than his life, although Red, the straight-A student and history lover, immediately thinks of the costly and controversial movie of his life. (Well, technically, it was the life of Cleopatra.) Black, of course, focuses on business – leadership lessons, including the power of words, although she surprises Red with some food trivia. But the fact July’s named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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