When Only Lettuce Will Do

As I left for home, having spent time with my my 2 month old grandson, I thought of the sandwich his dad had made with the ingredients brought to the house for lunch that day. ... (The Momsey editor gave birth in March on the anniversary of the day I found our Tiggy, the now 14-year-old wonder cat). Five fresh artisan buns, a few tomatoes, chicken, lettuce and some roast beef had been brought to the house. Simplicity in food preparation is always a nice change of pace. The baby had his own customized super food, courtesy of his mom. 'Lucy' was receiving a special order of grilled calamari with an oil, garlic and lemon juice dressing topped with diced tomatoes and green onions, during this nursing phase of motherhood. The only thought that came to mind as I made my left turn, that afternoon, was the large fresh crispy head of lettuce torn apart to accessorize the sandwich he was making. Flashes of the past came to mind when only lettuce would do.

Lettuce was the star attraction in salads and sandwiches, of my youth, with coleslaw as its mate, a nutrient dense mix of shredded cabbage, diced green onions and grated carrots in an oil and lemon juice drizzle. Nutrition was never under discussion. My mom simply knew. (She was born in 1921). We dressed the 'appetizer' mainstay, built on lettuce, with the usual ingredients: tomatoes, curly endive, green onions, grated carrots and radishes, everyday, unless there was soup. Soup was the main entree not the appetizer it is today. My mom's Saturday night meal - ours, too - was always a large head of lettuce, caraway rye bread and kielbasa. Nothing else would do. We ate it, too. That was understood. Today, the produce aisle of greens involves romaine, spring mix, beet tops, kale and other exotic leafy foliage to grace our meal time choices. My childhood dinner plate was always half full of salad made with lettuce. Salads were my dessert. (Meat was less important). Herbs and spices are center stage, now, packing a nutrient dense wallop to our health while adding a flavour and taste punch to the foods we eat.

Winter time gives rise to those 'tired' heads of lettuce that have travelled great distances and look the part. I choose the exotic greens then. The humble lettuce cannot compare to the colourful salad greens of nutrient dense fame. But sometimes, only sometimes, only lettuce will do. As I entered the home of my grandson, today, excitement ruled the moment as the sandwich materials began their journey to creation. The final crowning glory on top of the chicken, in the onion bun, was a large chunk of fresh crispy lettuce, the 'sound' of which cannot be duplicated in the exotic: kale, spinach or mixed greens.

Lettuce was king in my yesteryear salads. It had to be. Mom bought nothing else. Salad = lettuce. This off-white, mixed yellow and green head of plant leaves graced our dinner table landscape often, especially on Saturdays. Today, lettuce's large outer leaves now lay claim to being a bun stand-in whenever bread is not wanted. Though lettuce was the main act, once upon a time, today it is simply support staff when contrast of colour and crunch are wanted. Mother nature's simple foods are always energizing, tasty, healthy and cheap, regardless of their origins.

As he made his sandwich that afternoon, my son separated then washed the layers of lettuce for that final glorious step, in this simple lunch time favourite. It's crunchy, green leaves had left an indelible mark on his food history. Lettuce made it all work. In this moment, it punctuated the sandwich in a way that leafy greens could not. Lettuce had been a crunchy part of our family's food history and the only colourful choice in the salad made to accompany Momsey's homemade noodles and cottage cheese.

The more processed a food is, the more 'others' have interfered with its production and will, ultimately, with 'you'. Health matters daily, not occasionally. Lettuce is nothing special, of course, in its close-knit family of greens. But sometimes it is my must-have sandwich/salad link, to 'clean', healthy and delicious. It may not be exotic, glamorous, or heavenly to look at but lettuce can make everything it stands beside, in a sandwich or salad, the 'icing on the cake' for just having been included. Lettuce, like celery, can sometimes be missed, when it is absent. But every so often, in certain instances, it just seems right that only lettuce will do.