In Your Spare Time: From the Blog of Ursula K. Le Guin
Oct 28, 2026 · 12 min · 11 segments
Jared Pechaček reads post 29, "Without Egg," from June of 2011. You can read the original post here: www.ursulakleguin.com/blog/29-without-egg…
Jared PechačekGuestIndia Downs Le GuinHost
Visiting Vienna in the early 1950s, Charles and I stayed in style for very little expense at the Old König von Ungarn Hotel, which had been there since at least the 1820s.
We ate breakfast at a café around the corner, always the same café and the same breakfast.
Good coffee, fresh fruit, crisp rolls with butter and jam, and a soft-boiled egg.
I don't know why I got it into my head when wanting to vary it, but I did, and when the tall, middle-aged waiter arrived in his impeccable dark coat, I indicated that I wanted the usual breakfast, without the egg.
He appeared not to understand, which, given the quality of my German, was understandable.
He was a waiter, a disciplined, skillful Viennese waiter, and must obey the most perverse customer.
"'Without egg, madame,' he said softly, almost unreproachfully, and went away to fetch my eggless breakfast, which he brought and set before me with silent funereal dignity." We still laugh recalling that tiny incident of nearly 60 years ago, but it is also kept alive in my memory by a sense of guilt.
Visiting Vienna in the early 1950s, Charles and I stayed in style for very little expense at the Old König von Ungarn Hotel, which had been there since at least the 1820s.
We ate breakfast at a café around the corner, always the same café and the same breakfast.
Good coffee, fresh fruit, crisp rolls with butter and jam, and a soft-boiled egg.
I don't know why I got it into my head when wanting to vary it, but I did, and when the tall, middle-aged waiter arrived in his impeccable dark coat, I indicated that I wanted the usual breakfast, without the egg.
He appeared not to understand, which, given the quality of my German, was understandable.
He was a waiter, a disciplined, skillful Viennese waiter, and must obey the most perverse customer.
"'Without egg, madame,' he said softly, almost unreproachfully, and went away to fetch my eggless breakfast, which he brought and set before me with silent funereal dignity." We still laugh recalling that tiny incident of nearly 60 years ago, but it is also kept alive in my memory by a sense of guilt.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
