My first attempt at Creative Non-Fiction

The Big Salad

By Rebecca Shelton

A large piper colored bowl is taken delicately from the fridge. This bowl originated from a Tupperware party hosted in 1978.  The once white plastic lid has turned a muddy beige from its years of service.  Placing the bowl on the counter I slowly peel back the lid, just as I do when I open my Christmas presents, one tiny corner at a time.  As the lid opens, a fresh, woody, and semi sweet smell dispenses.  My eyes are taken back by the culture and history that exudes from this giant orange basin; a combination of leaves from all parts of the world come together.

What  is to be found in this brilliant bouquet of greenery?

            There is an abundant amount of one particular leaf in this salad.  Some common salad grazer might see lettuce, but not I; I see lactuca sativa.  This lettuce is a free spirit. Each individual leaf is unique in shape, color, and expression.  Don't be fooled by its carefree manner, it has a sensitive and vulnerable side. If the conditions are not ideal the beautiful color of Japanese laurel turns mallard.  We can thank Columbus for this tasty morsel.  He brought lettuce to the New World because he wanted to share the culture that surrounded it. However, Columbus was not the first to crunch this milky weed. The Kings of Persia were partaking in this crisp leaf during the 6^th century.  At this time in history lettuce was placed on a pedestal.  The Greeks and Romans were specifically fascinated with the milky fluid that pours from a fresh cut. The fluid houses the majority of nutrients that are believed to have "painkilling" properties.

Peering into the bowl there is a shape that is strong and will yield to no other.  This long spear like shape has been found imprinted on the tombs of Egyptians. Said to have originated in the Greek Isles, the Cos lettuce has been cultivated for over 5,000 years.  This head shaped plant evolved as does everything else and was given a new identity by the Romans.  The name given to such a gallant foliage, Romaine.  Romaine is a salad all its own, that’s how powerful this leaf is.

Taking a closer peek at the salad, I notice specks of pale green leaves hiding amongst the sturdy Romaine.  This lettuce was packed in ice to preserve it's integrity.  So, it was given the name Iceberg.  Also, known as New York or Imperial depending upon the strain. It’s hiding because of its nutritional shame.  We can thank ourselves for its weak existence.  It does however, contribute a much-needed sweetness.

            Spread erratically among the other leaves are silky, deep red skins, laced with hard white veins.  This cabbage-like lettuce is known not only for its brilliant colors and slightly bitter taste, but also for  its medicinal purposes.  Plyni the Elder gave it mention in Naturalis Historia.  Praising its ability to aid with insomnia due to the sedative qualities of intybin ( a bitter substance that effects the nervous system).  The Venice Province is home to this "Red Chicory of Chioggia" also known as Radicchio.  This ruby will shine bright no matter what the season.

            I can hold out no longer.  With delicate care  I make sure that every individual species is collected upon my fork.  My eyes look upon the brilliant colors of emerald, bilboa, mantis, and cedar.  I inhale the earthy aroma.  The leaves dance around in my mouth.  With every grind they release all of the wonderful history that they have stored.  The intense woody flavor of Egyptian sand, the saltiness of a cross Atlantic voyage, the warmth of a Venetian sunset, the sweetness of  the New York fields.  Divine.