Deer Rapunzel~or~All about greens
For some reason, greens have been a big part of my life lately. For one thing, I have recently become very fond of arugula.
When I taste arugula, it makes me think of the story of Rapunzel and how irresistible the greens in the witch’s garden were to Rapunzel’s mother. Those plants she was stealing must have tasted very much like arugula, or something equally delicious. The young woman, acting on a crazed inadequate-folate-induced delirium, was willing to sacrifice everything for them.
“My first-born child? Sure, anything. Just give me the @*%#$&* greens!!!!”
Speaking of Rapunzel, here is another incident that reminded me of that story.
I was on my way home from walking the dog, when I saw an obviously pregnant doe standing in our neighbor’s yard.
As it was very late in the morning, and unusual for a deer to be wandering around our neighborhood in broad daylight, it made me concerned. I wondered if it was injured, confused, or just looking for a good spot to have her fawn. It was quite disconcerting seeing her skulking about in the neighbor’s shrubbery.
The next morning, before I went for my walk, something dawned on me. That neighbor has a semicircular shaped garden that is full of blooming crocus every spring.
There are so many, at least 500 or more, that it looks like a solid blanket of purple by mid-March.
I happen to know that deer love the taste of crocus, because they nibble the tops off the ones in our garden every year; although, it’s usually in the middle of the night when “no one’s looking”. So I decided to check the neighbor’s yard as I passed by on my morning walk.
Sure enough, the deer was gone, but so were all the crocus. Each flower had been bitten off neatly from the top.
That young expectant mother was willing to risk any danger for the sublime taste of crocus. She too must have been at the mercy of an irresistible craving for fresh vegetables!
One final “green” tidbit has to do with watercress. I had always heard about watercress in books and movies about English people eating cress sandwiches with their afternoon tea.
Since our neighborhood grocer has a really good produce department and I had never tasted watercress, I decided to buy some.
Well, in my opinion, it is the worst tasting stuff ever. Perhaps watercress is something akin to cilantro (which I happen to love) that supposedly tastes like eating soap to some people.
For me, on a scale of dirty socks to swamp water, cress registers somewhere around pond scum, no matter how beautifully you cut the sandwiches.
I can only conclude that watercress sandwiches are something that toity Brits make their children eat in order to develop those stiff upper lips they’re so famous for.
“Eat your sandwich, St. John! It builds character.”
Anyone who can keep their composure while eating something so yucky deserves to be knighted.
I dub you “Sir Calvin of Hobbs”. . . . . NOT!!!
One final thought. I believe that watercress may explain the propensity to serve a great variety of cakes with the finger sandwiches at tea time. There’s nothing like a good lemon sponge to clear the palate.