A lot of veggies can be eaten raw. My Mom was no great shakes in the kitchen, but she did encourage us kids, when we were asking for a snack, to eat some raw veggies. Celery, carrots, radishes, broccoli, peas in the pod—all were tasty and healthy snacks; better, in Mom’s view, than potato chips and cookies. Veggies can be cooked, but they don’t have to be.
Brussels sprouts. Here’s where Mom fell down. They were always frozen in her kitchen, and I remember her putting the frozen block of sprouts in a pot of boiling water, boiling the hell out of them, then serving them with dinner and wondering why my sister and I hated them. Bitter, awful things they were.
Go forward many years. I married a girl who loved Brussels sprouts. But she disdained the frozen ones, in favour of fresh. Then she did something to them. I’m unsure what, except it involved oil, possibly garlic, and seasonings. And to my surprise, those sprouts were delicious.