Love (for Iceberg) in the Time of Coronavirus
A crisphead lettuce fan revels in the shelf-stable character of the crunch
As my fellow food lovers struggle to adjust to pantry cooking or wait in line for hours, six feet apart, at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, I have to admit I’m somewhat dispassionate about their hunger for fresh produce. I, too, still want a salad with my meals. Or for my meals. But by salad, I mean lettuce. And by lettuce, I mean iceberg.
Nothing else. Just a bowl of plain, plaid green checks. And dressing. We’ll get to the dressing in a minute.
Iceberg, you see, is my comfort lettuce. Lucky for me, long-lasting, shelf-stable iceberg seems to be in ready supply these days even as the more fragile greens run out in the groceries, as the farmers markets close down, as we lose contact with our favorite family farms and their community-supported agriculture shares (depending, of course, on where we live).
Not too long ago, I confessed my gratitude about the availability of iceberg to my daughter, who looked at me as if I had flushed a dozen jumbo stone crab claws down the toilet.
Lucky for me, long-lasting, shelf-stable iceberg seems to be in ready supply … even as the more fragile greens…
