The Weather Story

Read her story: "I need one egg," says the manager at Johnny D's Diner in Newburgh. "A raw one."

A baffled cook rolls a medium grade A onto the stainless steel counter. Johnny K (for Kontogiannis) grabs it and scurries outside to a sea of fresh blacktop. It's been repaved recently and still smells of tar.

It will be Johnny K's griddle. He cracks the egg on the curb, letting the clear and yellow goop drizzle onto the parking lot. "How do you like your eggs?" he asks. "Let's go inside and grab a cup of coffee while we wait."