The Strange Breakfast Marilyn Monroe Ate Every Single Day
Many know Marilyn Monroe as the star of such movies as "Some Like It Hot" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," but her talents far surpass the silver screen — Monroe was also quite skilled in the kitchen. For as glamorous as she was, though, Monroe's simple breakfast recipe wasn't what you may expect. In the September 1962 edition of Pageant magazine, the actress revealed that her favorite way to start the day was with a glass of warm milk mixed with two raw eggs. Yes, raw.
As Monroe explained to the publication, "Before I take my morning shower, I start warming a cup of milk on the hot plate I keep in my hotel room." Once the cup of milk was hot, she then would break two raw eggs into the dairy and mix it up with a fork, and drink it all down.
Along with the milk-egg mixture, Monroe took a multivitamin pill to get her day started. As a self-described "working girl in a hurry," her breakfast required very little prep and could easily be made in a small hotel room. With eggs being one of the gold standards of protein, this breakfast also no doubt helped Monroe get through a long day of shooting.
What did Marilyn Monroe eat on a typical day?
Breakfast wasn't the only meal that Marilyn Monroe made herself and kept to a strict routine. According to the New York Post, the star kept a typewritten schedule of her lunch and dinner options every day, too. Looking back at her notes, it appears that a typical lunch would rotate between cottage cheese, a potato, an egg or noodles, along with bread and some jello or fruit.
After the work day wrapped, Monroe would often stop at a nearby market to pick out a protein for dinner. She'd usually choose between chicken, lamb, lean beef, sweetbread, fish, or chicken liver. The actress would then take it back to her hotel, broil the meat in an electric oven, and serve it with vegetables and bread.
Back in 2010, Matt Lee and Ted Lee followed one of Monroe's recipes for an article in the New York Times, noting that because of the meal's complexity, Monroe seemed to be an accomplished chef who "cooked confidently and with flair." As it turns out, she was talented in more ways than one.
What are the risks of consuming raw eggs?
Marilyn Monroe could make anything look glamorous — even eating raw eggs. If you want to emulate the star and try her favorite breakfast recipe, there are some precautionary steps you should take first before indulging.
Per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, chicken and other birds can carry Salmonella bacteria, with contaminants often found on the shell or inside the egg. As such, eating raw or undercooked eggs can result in getting sick. Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and cramps, and can last anywhere from four to seven days.
While there are risks to eating non-pasteurized raw eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture advises that in-shell pasteurized eggs can be safely consumed raw. The pasteurization process involves gently heating eggs in their shells so that all bacteria are killed off, but not heating the eggs so much as to cook them.
Raw pasteurized eggs are commonly found in more foods than you might think. Eggnog, homemade mayonnaise, Caesar salad dressing, and meringue all traditionally contain the ingredient. You can even incorporate raw eggs into cocktail foam. Before you consume any food with raw eggs, however, be sure to check that those used are pasteurized.