Broccoli has an image
problem. Oh, sure, everyone knows it’s healthy. It has more vitamin C, calcium
and fiber than oranges, milk and wheat bread. But all too often, broccoli is
treated as a necessary evil, something serious people and obedient children endure
to earn their gold stars, like flossing or the stair climber machine.
I contend that broccoli’s
problem originates in the casting department. It has been typecast as the
watery, flaccid afterthought, as in: what vegetable can we throw on this plate so
we can call it a complete meal? No wonder kids and former presidents resist
eating it. If we treat broccoli with respect from the outset and give it a
supporting cast, people will eat it—and they’ll like it.
