Poor old mr. iceberg lettuce

In their classic The Person and the Situation, Professors Lee Ross and Richard Nisbett delve deep into one of the most famous concepts in all of social psychology: the "fundamental attribution error," which they define as "[p]eople's inflated belief in the importance of personality traits and dispositions, together with their failure to recognize the importance of situational factors in affecting behavior." In other words, we have a cognitive bias to believe that other people act in accordance with their personality traits (what "kind" of person they are) rather than being influenced by social and environmental forces outside of their control. Notably, this only applies to other people, as we all tend to recognize that our own behavior is dependent on the situation and thereby give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.

For example, if someone cuts me off on the highway, then I think that person is a jerk and/or a bad and aggressive driver, whereas if I "accidentally" cut someone off, it's because I've had a bad day and am distracted or in a hurry to meet someone at the hospital. Or I snap at someone and they attribute it to me being generally thoughtless and rude, while I know it's because I was worried about something and got a bad night's sleep. The lesson is not to assume that someone has acted, or will act, in a certain way because that's "just how they are."

 

*********

 

Something else you shouldn't make assumptions about is iceberg lettuce. Foodies turn up their noses at iceberg, but why? It's the crunchiest of lettuces and actually sweeter than romaine and the other fancy varieties that people swoon over. Gerald Locklin wrote about this in his amusing poem "The Iceberg Theory": "all the food critics hate iceberg lettuce / you'd think romaine was descended from / orpheus's laurel wreath,"* even though "poor old mr. iceberg lettuce" "tastes good, / has a satisfying crunchy texture, / holds its freshness / and has crevices for the dressing, / whereas the darker, leafier varieties / are often bitter, gritty, and flat." The kicker is that romaine is a metaphor in the poem for "so much contemporary poetry / that just bores the shit out of me," while iceberg lettuce is like "the poems I enjoy [which] are those I don't have / to pretend that I'm enjoying." Well, now you don't have to pretend that you're enjoying poor old Mr. Iceberg Lettuce either, as this salad is outstanding, as everyone can attest, having already scarfed it up happily several times.

 

---------

*I seem to remember seeing a musical Mom may have liked about this Orpheus guy.

Wedge Salad with Quick Pickled Onions and Avocado

Adapted from Deb Perelman via Smitten Kitchen (Apr. 18, 2023)

Time: ~35 minutes

For the quick pickled onions
45 grams (3 tablespoons) red wine vinegar
15 grams (1 tablespoon) water
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
¼ teaspoon granulated white sugar
½ small red onion, thinly sliced

To assemble
40 grams (3 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
35 grams (¼ cup) raw pepitas
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium (~600 grams / 1¼ pounds) head of iceberg lettuce, damaged outer leaves removed and rinsed
1 avocado, cut into small chunks
60 grams (½ cup) crumbled cotija cheese
3 radishes, thinly sliced and then cut into matchsticks

    1. For the quick pickled onions: In a small bowl (like a cereal bowl), combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Stir in the red onion slices. Microwave, uncovered, on high power for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for another 30 seconds until the pickling liquid is hot. Set aside to cool while you assemble the salad.
    2. Place the oil and pepitas in a small skillet or saucepan, and set over medium heat. Once the pepitas start to sizzle, let go for a minute or two, then remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool while you assemble the rest of the salad.
    3. Trim a very thin slice from the root at the bottom of the lettuce head. Cut the head into halves through the root end, then cut each half into 4 wedges, again through the root end (so the leaves stay together as much as possible). Cut each eighth crosswise into three or four pieces, again trying to keep the pieces together as much as possible. Carefully transfer the pieces, insides facing up if possible (to catch the dressing), to 4 or 5 bowls (deep pasta bowls work well).
    4. Scatter the avocado chunks over the lettuce. Spoon the pepitas and oil over the avocado and lettuce. Scatter the pickled onion slices on top, then spoon over the pickling liquid. Top with the crumbled cotija and radish matchsticks. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4 or 5.