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s01e01 Chandler: Tuna or egg salad! Decide!

 

Why deciding on having Tuna or Egg Salad is laughable?

The gang is back at Monica’s apartment watching a telenovela in Spanish. None of them know that language. So friends take turns guessing what the telenovela's characters are saying to each other. At one point an elder lady in TV shakes her finger and says something angrily.


Chandler: Tuna or egg salad! Decide!

The tone of voice suggests Chanler mocks the character. Yet it is still unclear to me why is the choice between tuna and egg salad is meant to be the opposite of dramatic? And why are those two even compared? Why not any other salads?

The thing that unites tuna and egg salad is mayonnaise. The ingredients are basically tuna and mayo for a tuna salad. And egg and mayo for an egg salad. Both are simple and quick to make. Both of them are considered cheap, satisfying yet a bit boring options for your lunch.

But there is one thing that breaks tuna and egg salad into opposite camps. Since around 1960-ies tuna salad has been considered as a diet food. You would eat tuna salad if you care for your health. Where the egg salad is still called “comfort food”. This means the unhealthy type of food one eats, in order to calm down and feel taken care of. That is why even though egg salad is high in cholesterol and calories, people would still go for it.

Comfort food or diet one? Enjoy the moment or watch your health? That is the question an American really hears when asked to choose between tuna or egg salad. And sometimes it does feel like its own telenovela type of drama!


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I also would love to hear your take on this joke,

Katia


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