TO MEET · 04/04/2014
A Big Egg and Jason Polan
On April 1st, nearly 275 giant eggs (2 ½ feet tall to be exact) were hidden around New York City—and now it’s up to you to find them all. Kidding! That’d be a lot of work. But if you choose to track one down during this year’s Fabergé Big Egg Hunt, we’d love for it to be ours.
We teamed up with artist Jason Polan to create the ultimate piece of egg art—The Island of Manhattan: Map and Egg Edition (AKA The Best Spots to Sit and Read a Book in Manhattan). It’s a comprehensive guide to reading and eating egg sandwiches in the city.
Jason recently chatted with us about his passion for books and sandwiches.
What qualities make a truly excellent reading spot?
A place you can sit without getting in someone’s way, maybe under a tree to lean against, but not completely in the shade. I like being in the sun. The spot should also have a nice breeze.
What are you reading now?
I finished a book called Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton last night. She is the chef at (and owns) a restaurant called Prune. I liked the book a lot. I am not sure what I will read next. I have a few (about 623) that I want to get to.
Favorite childhood book:
There were several I particularly liked. One I am thinking about right now is CDB! by William Steig.
Favorite adulthood book:
I am having trouble thinking of just one. Maybe Other People’s Trades by Primo Levi?
How many markers did it take to draw this egg-shaped map?
A bunch! Maybe nine or ten? It does not look like a lot of space but we tried to get a lot on there!
Layer by layer, walk us through your ideal egg sandwich.
Some kind of nice roll (with sesame seeds on top) that was maybe warmed up a little, a cheeseburger with cheddar cheese, maybe some bacon (very crispy), some pickles (dill, not sweet), lettuce, grilled onions, ketchup, and the fried egg!
Where exactly can people find this big, beautiful egg?
Rockefeller Center!
Can’t make it to the big egg? Pick up a limited-edition map at 192 Books, Strand (at 12th St.), Posman Books (Rockefeller Center and Grand Central Terminal), and Argosy.