Someone somewhere was talking about hard boiled eggs.

My former co-worker would bring in hard boiled eggs. Great snack, good basis for a lunch.

Got a bunch of eggs and are about to go over to the dark side? Hard-boil them and you’ve got lots more use out of them. Egg salad? Yum. Deviled eggs? One of my favorites. Super yum. Husband hates them; I rarely eat them.

Here’s a funny thing about me: I worked in some very fine restaurants as a sous chef, and I was pretty damn good. I made a chicken piccata that would make you weep. Scampi? Mmmm. I could do it all. But I have never mastered the perfect hard boiled egg. They’re inevitably underdone or done to the point of green. You know what I mean—when they yolk is just plain angry. Or they won’t peel properly. But, yeah, I—a fairly accomplished professional chef at one time—cannot boil an egg to save my life.

And yet, and still, I would never. Ever. Ever. Never never never in my entire life, even dream of buying… wait for it…pre-shelled, packaged hard-boiled eggs.

I’m finding it hard to believe that these exist.

Then, I have to remember that they only exist because people actually buy them.

Somewhere, there was a demand for this product. Yeah. They even have a Trader Joe’s brand. (See, I knew there were multiple reasons I stay out of that place…) “They’re great when you’re in a hurry!” “My husband loves them for his lunch!” “They’re convenient!” (of course) “We save energy by not boiling them ourselves a few times a week, and by buying these instead.”

No. No, no, no. No. Eggs come in a really great container (as long as you stick with the paper one, not the Styrofoam kind), and seriously, you can boil them all at once one day and have them for the rest of the week. It’s not difficult. I can come up with not one excuse to introduce this plastic packaging into to environment. Not one. If you can, please let me know. Because I sure cannot.

“I have a hard time peeling them!” No. “I don’t have time.” Nope. “I eat them more often since they come so easy like this!” No no no. If you have to resort to this, just skip it altogether. Really. You obviously do not need it that badly.

If you ever see me buying these, you have every permission to beat me silly.

I’m not too worried. I’d have to have had a lobotomy to have these in my cart. These make about as much sense as buying packaged pre-peeled bananas. There’s no reason to send this packaging into the ocean. None. I can’t stress it enough. If I ever see someone buying these… let’s just say, maybe it’s better that I limit my exposure to public places. I’m okay with that.

The fact that these have apparently been around for a few years just goes to show how little I look for this stuff. It doesn’t even occur to me that this is a fill-able niche.

What about you?

Rhonda DeFelice (aka Good Green Witch) grew up in a small ex-coal and steel town in Western Pennsylvania. Daughter of an ever-so-slightly hippie mom and intellectual dad, she was raised with an appreciation for nature and knowledge. (She also watched a lot of Hodge Podge Lodge as a child!) With this background, Rhonda grew up with a strong appreciation for a healthy environment  and firmly believes that “Living Green” doesn’t have to be difficult. She decided to get the word out to let everyone know that not only do the littlest of actions help, but that Earth-friendly practices can even save money in everyday life. Check out her blog Good Green Witch.

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Ed: Lynn Hasselberger