YJL

Eventually.

Before I open a package of dried pasta, I only read how long do I need to cook it to al dente, which properly is only Italian word that I can read. Or I seek for a clock icon near a number with or without “min” text. That’s how I roll on cooking pasta.

I don’t know any French, my only second language is English. So, when I looked at this packaging, didn’t even know it’s produced by a French company. I got the “7 min,” all the information I needed, or what I thought until that OMG moment. I did read the weight of the package, 250g because I noticed the package was smaller, it’s half of normal package I used. Usually, I use 100g of dried pasta per meal. So, 125g for 2 meals that is fine with me, it’s just little more than I used to eat.

So, I cooked half of it for 7 minutes, tasted it. That’s when I should have alerted myself, because I knew the taste was different, there was some mild hint of something in the pasta, but it’s not an awful taste, not at that moment. I dried it and mixed with my pasta sauce, sat down and eat it.

After the first bite, it got weirder, but I thought it might be my sauce, although I really didn’t think so. I hadn’t eaten with the sauce, it’s cooked yesterday and put into fridge right away. What I really thought was it must be some different pasta, maybe there was some additional ingredients like those veggie flavor, you know the typical tricolor pasta.

I was really battling with myself while eating it, but I was a good boy, I finished it and let go of it from my mind afterward, until hours later for the second half of that package.

Once again, when I tested the bite, it tasted like something was missing. Weird, right? With sauce, it tasted with something extra. Without sauce and just cooked, it tasted as if it’s lack of a certain flavor that I used to have. As it drying in colander, I smelled it for the first time. It was certainly not the pasta smell I used to get. I knew something was definitely not right.

But, I continued since it’s already cooked and it didn’t smell like something had gone bad. I sat down and took the first bite, this time, as I eating and having sort of full knowledge that something wasn’t right, I tasted something unpleasant to me.

I finally moved my ass to check the “best before” date, to see if it has expired, even though I really doubted it. I retrieved the packaging and it read “4/5/2015.” So it has not expired. At that moment, I was really puzzled, how could it taste so strange? I continued to read the translation sticker, it said “100% Durum wheat” and that’s all listed in its ingredients.

If it has not gone bad and it’s just wheat, where the heck that taste came from? I can’t read the original text, so I just looked around the packaging, trying to find some clues, then I saw there was a picture of eggs with my bulging and unbelieving eyes. Took a second intense stare, yes, those were eggs!

Oh, shell!

And I knew I had missed that when I opened the package, didn’t pay attention to it, but 100% sure my eyes went over it. If I had looked for one more second, I might notice.

Next second, I brought the packaging to my computer and started typing in those alphabets—which I didn’t even know how to pronounce—into Google Translate. The first sentence was the one with the egg picture:

7 œufs frais au kilo de semoule de blé dur

⇩

7 fresh eggs per kilo of semolina

Oh, shell!

Continue to translate this part:

pâtes alimentaìres aux oeufs frais.

⇩

Pasta with fresh eggs.

Okay, that’s what I already know.

Semoule de blé dur de qualité supérieure, œufs frais 30% soit 320g par kg de semoule.

⇩

Durum wheat of superior quality, fresh eggs 30% or 320g per kg of flour.

Okay, quality stuff. Nice to know.

Traces éventuelles de soja et lait.

⇩

May contain traces of soy and milk.

I laugh at this one, why am I not surprised? It’s something I read quite a lot, only this one is in French. You will be surprised that how many food products actually have this warning text printed on the packaging.

Normally, I always read packaging to make sure there is no surprise, no accidental consumptions of stuff that I don’t plan to eat. But for pasta since the products I have usually are produced by the country using languages I can’t speak, so I don’t bother to read, because I simply can’t.

I know restaurants do use dried egg pasta, but I never thought it’s possible for industrial food packaging, so I believed it’s safe for me. But now, I knew I was wrong. They do make dried egg pasta and ship oversea, and they can be stored for up to three years. Can you believe it?

As a vegan, of course, I don’t eat eggs. But when I became a lacto-vegetarian-then-vegan, I made a deal with myself that I would have no problems eating like others when necessary. Like when you go to a restaurant, which does not even have veggie dishes, I would order steaks and don’t blink once. Like when you are invited to a home dinner, I will enjoy the casserole dish and praise how good it is without a lie.

In late December, 2012, I accidentally made a cup of instant cappuccino because I didn’t double check what I grabbed. But I immediately knew there was milk in it when I took the first sip. I didn’t drink but discard into the sink, it’s not as if I was totally against drinking dairy products under such situation, but I just couldn’t get used to the flavor.

I wasn’t thinking much about it, until this second incident of accidental consumption.

After I was sure there were some eggs in the pasta, the first thought was to dump it because the taste was really strong. Never once when I was still eating eggs, I really paid attention to egg’s flavor. But now, I could taste it and it’s so overwhelming.

Few seconds later, I changed my mind. I would rather eating it than wasting it. So, I went to add pickle chili juice, extra chili powder for a kick, garlic powder to be sure, and white pepper powder to mess up the flavor of pasta. My intention is to make it taste terrible, so I wouldn’t be paying attention to the egg flavor

I should have added some ketchup, that might help, because when I took another bite, it’s still unbelievable strong. Those extra condiments did cover for a few bites, but then eggy flavor popped up and dominated the rest of bites. I could still taste egg on my tongue after a couple of hours.

Unfortunately, I didn’t finish it, one quarter was left, I had reached my limit. So, I wasted one eighth of that package, I could live with that.

Yes, I am a vegan, but between wasting food and insisting still being a vegan, I choice to eat it. I have my reason to be a vegan, but that’s not point of this post.

At that moment, I realized that I might not be able to eat like before I became vegetarian, even I am okay with it when situation arises.

Interestingly, one of dishes with eggs I liked was egg and potato salad and I know how to make egg pasta, even I have never made once, I learned the recipe after I became vegetarian. If you love pasta and eggs, make some homemade egg pasta, it’s super easy and it would be worth. Every time, I saw a television chef making a pasta from scratch, I knew it would be good.

It’s mind blowing to see diet can change things in a way you don’t expect. You know you like it, but you also dislike it at the same time. Three years without a single egg, I have totally forgot when it tasted like, and only realized after I checked the package.

Lesson learned, now I know how to write “egg” in French and how would I describe the taste of egg?

It’s an acquired taste.

Post-post, 7/29/2013, another line from different type of pasta, but same brand:

Traces éventuelles d’œufs si le numéro de lot contient la lettre “N”.

⇩

May contain traces of eggs if the lot number contains the letter “N”.

The last part read very interesting and I had guessed what it meant before I used the translator. 26 letters, I still hit the jackpot. Oh, you French people are funny.