It's Never Too Late: Pock An Egg

(From the emails of David G. Morris, with permission:)

Awakened (woke up, if you prefer) this AM, prepared (made, if you prefer) a pot of coffee, had a couple of cups, prepared (made, if you prefer) breakfast for Paula and I, and did then consume a goodly amount of same.

 
Strolled out the front door, a little later, to observe Easter Sunday happenings in the neighborhood on and around South Alley Court.  Saw only a few kids and they all had baskets and colored eggs in hand.  What I did not see was any "pocking", at all, going on between the kids. 

As a matter of fact, I have never seen pocking of eggs in this part of Texas, none now, or in the past. 

I have in past years asked others here about this non-phenomenon and no upright, walking-straight, person has been able to identify the word -- "pock" -- or pocking, or the phrase, egg pocking (that a phrase?) 

Are any of you folks familiar with pocking, or egg pocking? 

Also, have not seen pocking in other locations that I have visited in the "US of A" -- there is one exception, howsomever, as follows:

On Easter morning the kids appeared outside their homes carrying colored eggs and baskets and began a game of "pocking," all up and down the streets.  To me, this first occurred in the town of Ville Platte, Louisiana where I attended school during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades, and I only assume this is some sort of Cajun practice in Ville Platte, maybe the surrounding areas like Opelousas, too, or that general area (Cajun folks tend to run amuck around there.) 
 
The kids all try to pick out their hardest and toughest-shelled Easter egg and then challenge one another: one holds out his hard-shelled egg in his hand and the other will take his hard-shelled egg and knock it against the other one.  (Egg-striking-egg was the "pock.")  The egg that breaks is the loser and the loser has to turn his egg over to the winner, who of course, is trying to collect as many broken eggs as he can and be the champion.  No money is involved, just whomever collects the most broken eggs is judged the winner, until next year. 

So, if you find someone who wants to do some egg pockin', make sure you have a really tough-shelled egg so's you can clean out all comers.  Happy Pockin'! 

Also, hope all youse guys got your Easter trees up and decorated this year.  Boy, I used to love the smell of an "egg pock" in the early morning!

(Now and then some wise-apple would color a raw egg or two, use them as a pocker, then pock with them just to see how much of a yellow and white sticky liquid would be spilled on the other guy.) Aye Chihuahua!
 

Dave the M (Fox)

Comments

[Mira]

Funny, I remember doing this as a kid growing up in CT. Just once and someone cheated by soaking their egg in vinegar so it got all rubbery and wouldn't break.

[Lynn]

Spoke with some of my coworkers who originated in Louisiana. One of them said they called it "boxing eggs'. But one of them said they called it "poqueing eggs". You'd have to hear her say it. Think of the French language, unless you're familiar with the southern louisiana dialect.