Earlier today, while flying to my parent’s house for Christmas, I indulged in the brain candy that is Russell Davies’ book Egg, Bacon, Chips and Beans (thanks to a friend who gave it to me for Christmas). This book, based on his blog of the same name, is an unapologetic love poem to the British national breakfast, the “fry-up.” Davies explores a few dozen of his favorite English cafes where one can get a proper fry-up, and he does it with a great dry, witty sense of humor that is as philosophical as it is entertaining.
There are many, many laugh-out-loud moments in this book. A few of my favorites:
“Bacon is the uber-food, the uhr-food, bacon is the alpha and omega, bacon is quite nice, bacon is proof of the existence of God.”
“Bacon drives vegetarians mad. It’s the food they always go on about. It’s the thing that finally breaks them. Why? Because it’s absolutely bloody delicious. And it’s not a vegetable. So ha! to all you vegetarians. Your choice may be ethically and nutritionally admirable, but it’s tastually inferior.”
There is also a brilliant part of the book that compares each of the four components of a Egg, Bacon, Chips & Beans (EBCB) breakfast to the four personalities of the members of the rock group Queen.
This is seriously one of the funniest books I’ve read in a while, and it would make a great gift for the breakfast-lover in your life. Even if you don’t live in the UK, reading Egg, Bacon, Chips and Beans will make you want to immediately go out and find the nearest breakfast joint.