Or…If you were allowed only one vegetable for the rest of your life, what would it be?
To drill down a bit on who I am and how I might have been influenced growing up:
I’m a 64yo white American woman who grew up in northern NJ. My father traveled around the world countless times on business (he was a freelance motion picture producer/director, mostly for industrial or tourist-related films). So I was introduced to world flavors in the 60s and 70s that, while not “exotic” now, certainly were then.
My mother, on the other hand, was not an adventurous eater or cook. Dont get me wrong, she fed us very well, but they were typical American dishes for the 60s and 70s. To reverse-paraphrase the old Chowhound manifesto, she ate to live, not lived to eat.
I will say, however, to her credit, she chose NOT to be a short order cook, and wouldn’t make different meals for us kids and then a different one for my father when he was home from his film trips. It was always one meal; we all ate the same thing at the dining room table (or a single meal for the 4 of us at the kitchen table when Dad wasn’t home). If we didnt like what was being served, we were welcome to make a PB&J sandwich or pour ourselves a bowl of cereal.
ANYWAY…I grew up with a meat, starch and veg on the plate almost 85-90% of the time.
And having my dinner tonight with steamed green beans, my brain said “Damn, I love green beans!” Then it wandered and said “But you love…like really❤LOVE❤ peas! And fresh corn on the cob, and roasted Brussels sprouts, and… and… and…”
So I got to thinking, which veg would I want in my life if all others disappeared? You’re allowed spices and herbs, but no accent veggies (like shallots or garlic).
As much as I love green peas, I think I’d have to go with green beans. So many ways to prepare them. They’re amenable to so many spices.
I’d miss my peas, corn, carrots, red bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts, but I think beans are my favorite.
What say you?