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“Are eggs fertilized?” I asked out of the bue while sitting next to my husband on the couch on Sunday.  ”Why?” he asked.  ”I’d feel bad if they were,” I explained and left it at that.

I’m a vegetarian, but do consume some dairy, eggs, and fish (a compromise I made when I married my sportsman husband).  It goes without saying I have my hesitations about eating fish, but given my rural circumstances, I’ve stuck to the agreement.  The dairy I feel pretty okay about, but from time to time have second thoughts about eggs.  But considering the sizable challenge nixing eggs would impose, I’ve been too afraid to Google my egg question.  I live in the land of indecipherable hot dish potlucks.  As a vegan, or moving closer in that direction, what on Earth could I eat here?

I hate potlucks.  How much worse could it get?  So tonight I did it.  I Googled “Is the egg I eat fertilized?”  *Sighs with relief.* Third on Google is a link to Chow.com and a teaser that reads “Chances are you’ve never eaten a fertilized egg, because nearly all eggs sold commercially are produced by hens that have not mated, says …” Clicking through I learned my reputable source is Lauren Cobey, media representative for the American Egg Board.  True, she has a vested interest in providing the answer I was hoping for, but it’s not like it’s coming from a completely unedited Wikipedia entry circa 2005.

It’s good enough for me, for now.  But maybe I need urban chickens after all to ensure my egg providers are happy.