The Largest Salted Egg in the World
by Oliver Carlos
The town of Victoria in Laguna is known as the duck-raising capital of the province. Its people are into that cottage industry since time immemorial. Its 2 most famous products are the kinulob na itik and salted eggs.
One day, I took my parents for a joyride in Victoria. We drove northward from Los Banos, passing thru the towns of Bay and Calauan, before reaching the Victoria junction. At that spot, there’s a statue of a very large native duck with an egg. The duck is the size of a car, while the egg is the size of an LPG tank. I thought that’s the largest egg I’ve seen. But driving farther north, we saw a larger one at the Itlog ni Kuya restaurant. That one is more than 5 feet tall, and it’s very wide, I couldn’t hug it completely in my arms.
It’s fascinating to know how salted eggs are made. The process relies on the scientific process of osmosis. The fresh duck eggs are dipped in a moist mixture of mud and salt for several days. In that period, the salt enters the egg and makes it salty. Traditionally, salted eggs are colored red to differentiate them from regular duck eggs and chicken eggs. But the Itlog ni Kuya brand isn’t dyed, they’re white.
Salt is a wonder compound. It’s made up of sodium and chloride and is abundant in our planet. It is present in the oceans and on land. Since human civilization began, it has been a constant ingredient in dishes across all countries of the world. It’s hard to imagine if there’s no salt ever in our world. We would have a tasteless or very bland life.
Salt is so important that Jesus mentioned it in the Sermon on the Mount. He said in Matthew 5:13 (NIV):
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Jesus compared salt to what a Christian should be. We, followers of Christ, are meant to be game-changers. Like salt, we are to create an impact on the lives of the people around us. We are to bring life in a lifeless world of a friend or a loved one. How does that happen?
Remember osmosis? Our mere presence changes things. Salt is naturally salty. Whatever it touches becomes salty too. Even up to the core of an egg, the salt can penetrate and replicate its taste in it.
When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we are changed from inside out. We become natural bearers of Christ’s shining character. Wherever we go, we reflect Jesus. People get blessed by our mere presence. They feel a certain positive ray, when we speak to them or do acts of service to them. The virtues we advocate thru our spoken word and natural actions are life-giving or flavor-giving in this world.
Ask God to transform you more and more to be Christlike. Ask for the filling of his Holy Spirit each day. Pray that you will be the salt of the world that you are meant to be.
