Bacon and Eggs

Studio Ghibli. You know it. You love it. And if you don’t, it’s only a matter of time before you fall under its spell. I’ve been a fan of Studio Ghibli’s masterpieces since I was little, but it took me many years to figure out that the movies I’d been watching over and over came from the same studio. (I was either really unobservant or really stupid. Probably both.) Once I connected the dots, I knew to keep my eyes peeled for any upcoming movies. It wasn’t long until I found an article about Howl’s Moving Castle. I only had a brief description and a few pictures to go off of, but I was already in love with the film. The only downside was that I’d have to wait for it to come out. And wait and wait. And after a couple long years, I finally got to see it. You can guess that by this point I had very high expectations for this movie. I wasn’t disappointed in the least. Although I can’t say what my favorite Ghibli movie is, (It’s too painful to choose! Don’t make me!) Howl’s Moving Castle has been pretty high up on the list since then.

From the moment Howl’s castle walks across the screen, I check out of reality for a couple of hours and become completely immersed in the beautiful world of the film. Howl’s Moving Castle is obviously fantasy, but the captivating story plays out so effortlessly that it feels real. The characters are just as expressive as you or me and they interact with each other so naturally, routine things such as cleaning or cooking breakfast suddenly become fascinating. I suppose cooking is always livelier when your heat source is a scary and powerful fire demon. Yes, I’ve had my heart stolen by Calcifer too, (I’m rocking my pair of Calcifer socks right now.) but he’s only a part of what makes the breakfast sequence so wonderful. Sophie, Howl, and Markl are just as important. They’re all together for the first time and they already look like a fun little family to me. And then there’s the food! Studio Ghibli has a reputation for beautifully animating food for a reason. Something as simple as bacon and eggs becomes the tastiest looking meal in the world, and I can’t say I wouldn’t tear through my breakfast like Markl.

Recipe serves 2-3.

Ingredients

3 strips bacon (The biggest/thickest you can find.)

4-6 large eggs (Only 4 shown in the picture)

Salt

 

Directions

Place room temperature bacon in a cold pan and set heat to medium. When bacon begins to curl, flip it to the other side. When the bacon is close to your desired doneness, move the bacon over and crack and add the eggs. If there isn’t enough grease, add a little bit of oil before adding the eggs. If the grease is too hot, reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook until the bacon is cooked through and the egg whites are completely set but the yolk is still soft. Remove from heat and season. Bon appétit!

It’s not fair. Howl makes cooking look so easy. He can even crack eggs one-handed. I’ve tried and tried and I still can’t do it. I think I’m defective. I have more trouble cooking bacon and eggs than I do most foods, (“I can’t remember the last time we had a real breakfast!”) but I just had to give this a shot. Sure, it’s not nearly as pretty as Howl’s, but it’s still darn tasty. And the best part is, my screwy stove can be as uncooperative as Calcifer, but my bacon didn’t burn!

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!