Sunnyside Eggs Aside

—A Love Letter to the Brightest Meal on My Plate

There’s something incredibly comforting about a sunny-side-up egg. It greets you like morning sunlight: warm, simple, unpretentious, but deeply grounding. Among all the meals I’ve known, this humble dish remains one of the greatest—and for me and my family, it’s become our quiet signature.

I can’t recall the exact moment I fell in love with it. Maybe it was the way the yolk shimmered like liquid gold, or the slight crisp at the edge of the white that gave it character. What I do remember is how it felt: homey, nourishing, quick. It was a dish that showed up at breakfast, at late-night dinners, even in between Zoom calls during the longest workdays.

Historically, eggs have been celebrated across cultures. In many parts of the world, the sunny-side style is symbolic of abundance and clarity—a perfect circle of life, unbroken, served hot. Whether paired with toasted bread, fragrant rice, noodles, or simply eaten alone with salt and pepper, it quietly steals the spotlight. No five-star chef needed. Just heat, a pan, and a little tenderness.

Of course, there are other ways to love eggs: scrambled, poached, boiled, over-easy, over-hard, baked in shaksuka, folded into an omelet. But for me, the sunny-side-up is like an honest friend—it doesn’t pretend to be more than it is, yet it delivers every time.

Now, it’s more than just my go-to dish. It’s my family’s, too. My kids know the ritual—the sound of oil crackling, the visual cue when the whites set but the yolk still glows. It’s become our household’s comfort language. One of them once called it “the food that smiles back.”

So here’s to the sunnyside egg—not just as a dish, but as a reminder that joy, nutrition, and a sense of togetherness don’t always need to be complicated. Sometimes, all you need is a hot pan, an egg, and a moment of pause.