It’s more about the texture – it’s kind of a blank canvas. I wouldn’t want to eat a head of it like an apple, really, but it’s got a lot of water in it (good for hydration of self), probably some nutrients, and sets off whatever it’s served with via its crisp texture and general air of wholesomeness.
And it does have a taste – maybe not that strong a taste, but it’s not like eating nothing-tasting things.
White rice doesn’t have too much flavor either, but it’s the foundation of many of the best cuisines on the planet.
It has a good crunch and it is ridiculously cheap. If I’m not sure if I’m going to make a salad or not and I’ll pick up a head so I have it for sandwiches. If I end up throwing most of it away I still feel I got my money’s worth.
I like iceberg for its crunch, and moisture, and taste. I even snack on it plain, as long as it’s not the nasty, limp outer leaves. Same reason I like celery (which has a stronger taste, but also strings that get caught in my teeth).
For salads that’re going to be drowned in some dressing, I’ll just use romaine.
I avoid salads with those other vile and limp greens. If someone is describing it as “peppery”, I’ll know they’re serving me food that rabbits would turn noses up at. Watercress is peppery; that other stuff is just limp leaves.
I like it, but then again, a big part of that might be that I seldom have it - it would be unusual to see it as a salad around here (it’s always spinach or “field greens”) except as a wedge salad, and as already mentioned, a wedge salad gets an A+. And I really like the cool crunch on burgers or chicken sandwiches.
So iceberg lettuce – good at what it’s good for, and what else can you ask of a food?
Similar to breakfast cereal claims, iceberg lettuce “stays crunchy in milk (dressing)”. I despise romaine for salads. I hate the way it goes limp almost immediately when dressed, and trying to spear this limp piece of lettuce pasted onto my plate is frustrating. I agree with “The lettuce often just serves as a foundation to carry the dressing.” It’s the same reason I prefer white bread for my sandwiches: it’s just there to hold the other ingredients, and I don’t want it competing with the other flavors (maybe just my tastebuds, but the flavor of most whole-grain breads completely overpowers most of the things I like to put in a sandwich).
Iceberg lettuce holds up better on a burger, as long as the burger doesn’t sit for too long under a heat lamp. The “green leaf” lettuce many restaurants use, like romaine, goes limp almost immediately and has the texture of a sheet of damp paper.
I don’t want to see dandelion anywhere near my salad, either. That’s because any dandelion that’s near my salad is dandelion that wasn’t in my salad, and therefore didn’t get eaten immediately.
There’s only one thing iceberg is good for, and celery is better at that. There’s no excuse for iceberg’s existence.
Iceberg lettuce is my favorite type of lettuce. I’ve loved it since I was two or three I’d say. I like how light, crunchy, and juicy it is. Like watermelon, but you can put it on hamburgers and such, or like celery but less stringy.
You just compared lettuce to bacon? You are SOOOO going to hell (that what my friend the Pope just told me on Facebook when he heard about this ). And I predict a retaliatory banning within the week
Romaine is good with Ceasar salads - but for regular salads, all we use is iceberg. I use it for (as others have said) a delivery system for the croutons, the dressing, the cucumbers, the tomatoes, etc.
BLT’s are not right if they aren’t made with iceberg lettuce - the crunchier the better. The same goes for leftover turkey sandwiches - and those sometimes require Miracle Whip as well (depending on our state of mind.)
This is how my husband and I were raised and this is how things are right and good.
