Why Black Friday?

Q: Why is the day after Thanksgiving called Black Friday?

A:  In the 1960’s the Philadelphia Police  Department coined the phrase to describe the general mayhem that occurred on the city streets as people began to take to the streets and begin Christmas shopping in earnest.  The term “Black Friday” became more positive and was popularized by New York store owners in the 1970’s.  In theory it would become the day that a retail business would begin to make money, ie: be in the black.  In reality many business slash prices so much on this day that they actually might lose money, but I’m sure they make up for it the rest of the season.

The day before Christmas is actually to busiest shopping day of the year.  And in my opinion if a business isn’t making money by the end of November they are in trouble financially and marking things down a lot wouldn’t necessarily pull them out of debt.

Q:  Why are some eggs easier to peel than others?

A:  As a general rule the fresher the egg the harder it is to peel.  It is believed that it has something to do with the pH of the egg and the binding of the protein (albumin) to the shell. The natural CO2 that is in the egg under the shell begins to seep out and changes the pH of the egg, making it easier to peel. The ideal age for ease of peeling eggs would be 7—10 days after it is laid.  Being skeptical about the length of time it takes for eggs to get onto the grocery shelf, I did a little research.  In the past it took about a week to get onto the grocery store shelf.  In the last number of years eggs have been arriving at the stores in as little as 72 hrs.  As a result the eggs we get today are fresher than they were in the past and the conversely they are often harder to peel.

Egg cartons are marked with the date they were laid.  If you know how to read the label there will be a date, using the Julian calendar so Jan 5, 2013 would be 01032013.  When you get the eggs home, take them out of the box to store in the refrigerator.  If they have a thin film over them,  be sure to wash them.  Some egg processers coat the eggs with mineral oil to mimic the natural  coating the hen puts on the eggs before she lays them.

Personal experience however does not prove the theory that fresher eggs are harder to peel.  I’ve gathered eggs directly from the nest and immediately boiled them to perfection, without any problems peeling them.

Have a question, or is there something you’ve always wondered about? Ask Madalyn invites your questions.

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