Cabbage

It took me a long time to come around when it came to cabbage.  In my youth, the only exposure I’d ever had was coleslaw.  Cabbage was rendered foul by steeping in a pool of watery mayo until it was a wilty, soggy mess.  As an adult, I was again confronted with cabbage prepared in the most unappetizing way—steamed with corned beef to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  Steaming it made the leaves a little more transparent, like a sautéed onion, but I still couldn’t get over the idea of eating hot lettuce.  My gag reflex overpowered my politeness to my host, and I never tried it.  But red cabbage was no problem in my pre-packaged salad mix.  By extension, I surmised that green cabbage couldn’t be that bad if sliced super thin and hidden among sweeter lettuce.  After that, I tried slipping it into mixed greens and chicken salad with great success.