# There's a LEAF in my food! =8^O **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475 "2018-02-24T17:24:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/61 "2018-02-26T14:38:52Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > For the love of Og, can we all just concede that swallowing a tough, woody, bay leaf is a bad idea, and get on with the interesting part of the conversation?!? What part would that be? 😛 I probably shouldn’t be surprised that some people are shocked at finding a common ingredient in their food. In the mid-'80s I met a woman who had no clue (and had to ask) what one does with guacamole. I _shouldn’t_ be surprised, but I am. As for complaining about finding a bay leaf, as I said,it would never occur to me to complain. It would be like ordering a salmon fillet and finding a bone in it. Pick it out, and set it aside. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/62 "2018-02-26T19:40:33Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Are you suggesting that most people have never been to the produce section at the grocery store? > > :dubious: That sounds right to me. People can’t distinguish between parsley and cilantro, grapefruits or large oranges, or any tuber aside from a russet potato. I’ve had CASHIERS who couldn’t tell the difference between a cucumber and a zucchini. Learning to cook well requires a lot of acquired knowledge and copious amounts of practice. And some recipes are just awful – but you need to know a lot to know when a recipe is wrong. We are no longer farmers or hunters. We’re people who don’t like to cook. > **[The Grocery Industry Confronts a New Problem: Only 10% of Americans Love Cooking](https://hbr.org/2017/09/the-grocery-industry-confronts-a-new-problem-only-10-of-americans-love-cooking)** > > The food and grocery industry feels threatened by Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods, but it faces a bigger but quieter threat: the long-term decline of people’s interest in cooking. Instead of ignoring this behavioral shift, food companies should... ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/63 "2018-02-26T20:19:50Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > I’ve had CASHIERS who couldn’t tell the difference between a cucumber and a zucchini. Yep. I’ve many times had a cashier ask “what is this?” when buying something at the grocery. (Rutabaga, celery root, and turnip all seem to be commonly confused where I shop.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/64 "2018-02-26T20:32:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > > [@Barbarian](#): > > > > I’ve had CASHIERS who couldn’t tell the difference between a cucumber and a zucchini. > > Yep. I’ve many times had a cashier ask “what is this?” ‘It’s an organic dildo.’ ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/65 "2018-02-26T20:32:52Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > That sounds right to me. People can’t distinguish between parsley and cilantro, grapefruits or large oranges, or any tuber aside from a russet potato. > > I’ve had CASHIERS who couldn’t tell the difference between a cucumber and a zucchini. To be fair, flat-leaf parsley and cilantro DO look a lot alike, especially when swaddled in plastic. I’ve occasionally had to resort to the sniff-check. Cucumbers and zucchini can, again, look similar when wrapped in multiple layers of plastic bags, but at least they _feel_ different. I can identify most things that pass by me as a cashier because I cook. We really do have a problem with folks under 40 being unable to identify fruits and vegetables, and under 30 it’s really bad. The company cashier training does cover identifying the most common things, but it’s an on-going problem. I have a lot of coworkers holding stuff up so I can see it and yelling “Broom, what is this stuff?” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/66 "2018-02-26T20:59:06Z")
Often, I find that similar-looking produce is priced the same, presumably to mitigate the effect of cashiers not telling the difference. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/67 "2018-02-26T21:02:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I probably shouldn’t be surprised that some people are shocked at finding a common ingredient in their food. In the mid-'80s I met a woman who had no clue (and had to ask) what one does with guacamole. I _shouldn’t_ be surprised, but I am. Growing up in Iowa, I never heard of guacamole until the mother of a HS friend who had a much-older sister living in California told me that McDonald’s had guacamole (called, what else, Mac-a-mole or however they spelled it). She told me what it was, and said it was as disgusting as it sounded. I never actually had it until years later. Yummy! But then again, it wasn’t from McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/68 "2018-02-26T21:17:05Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It honestly wouldn’t occur to me it’s weird. I’m almost certain I’ve gotten bay leaves in my food before, but I am certain I’ve gotten kaffir lime leaves in my Thai food before, and those aren’t typically eaten, either. Same with the occasional bruised stalk of lemongrass, and I’m sure many other things in other foods that aren’t coming to me. That said, not something I expect in fast food or fast casual. That’s one I really pay attention to. My one known food allergy (sort of) is kaffir lime leaves. Not a swell-up-and-die allergy, but if I eat something flavored with it every bit of my GI tract protests vigorously, each in its own way. I will leave the cumulative effect to your imagination. :dubious: If I eat in a Thai restaurant, I ask about ingredients VERY carefully. And take the first bite like an unpopular king’s food taster. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/69 "2018-02-26T21:20:15Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Growing up in Iowa… Heh. I worked with a woman from Iowa who pronounced tortillas as ‘tor-tilly-uhs’. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/70 "2018-02-26T21:28:26Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I guess you’ve never been to California. Some oaks have leaves [that look pretty much just like that](https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/Quercus-chrysolepis). Southern Liveoaks, and for that matter, Black Mangroves, have a leaf that looks like a Bay Laurel. By the way, did you know that the storied “Crown of Laurels” is bay leaves? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/71 "2018-02-26T21:28:30Z")
> [@MacLir](#): > > That’s one I really pay attention to. My one known food allergy (sort of) is kaffir lime leaves. > > Not a swell-up-and-die allergy, but if I eat something flavored with it every bit of my GI tract protests vigorously, each in its own way. I will leave the cumulative effect to your imagination. :dubious: > > If I eat in a Thai restaurant, I ask about ingredients VERY carefully. And take the first bite like an unpopular king’s food taster. I have a friend who is this way with coconut. More than once, she’s eaten something and had to run to the bathroom immediately to throw it up, and the person who cooked it said, “Oh, yeah, it had coconut oil in it but I didn’t think it would hurt you.” :eek: :mad: :smack: Funny thing is, she sometimes uses her housemate’s coconut body wash. She said, “It’s not like I DRINK it or anything!” and I told her that it was probably fake coconut scent anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/72 "2018-02-26T21:41:29Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I have a friend who is this way with coconut. More than once, she’s eaten something and had to run to the bathroom immediately to throw it up, and the person who cooked it said, “Oh, yeah, it had coconut oil in it but I didn’t think it would hurt you.” > > :eek: :mad: :smack: > > Funny thing is, she sometimes uses her housemate’s coconut body wash. She said, “It’s not like I DRINK it or anything!” and I told her that it was probably fake coconut scent anyway. Probably ethylene glycol. That’s what artificial coconut flavor is. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/73 "2018-02-26T21:53:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > No, the flavor of celery is quite subtle (when raw), but it’s definitely there. In other words, celery has a little more flavor than iceberg, and a lot more texture. > > And no, there’s usually not as much of it in a salad, but there’s no reason there couldn’t be. If you even want crunchy salad: I’d rather use spinach or the like for the base, anyway. Blecch, celery is sharp, astringent, and extremely off-putting when raw (to me). VERY strong taste. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/74 "2018-02-26T22:19:01Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > Blecch, celery is sharp, astringent, and extremely off-putting when raw (to me). VERY strong taste. Yes, celery’s taste is quite distinct and strong. I mean, I like it, but subtle it is not. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2018, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/75 "2018-02-27T01:02:29Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Wow, that is an incredibly Jesusy comment section. > > And [Mike Adams](https://respectfulinsolence.com/2013/09/03/mike-adams-puts-chicken-mcnuggets-under-the-microscope-hilarity-ensues/) is [one of the dipshittiest of dipshits](https://respectfulinsolence.com/tag/mike-adams/). The dipwad(s) at the “center for science in the public interest” is dipshittier. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2018, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/76 "2018-02-27T01:23:24Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > First of all, the danger of eating a bay leaf is vastly exaggerated. You can even buy it chopped up. It’s best to remove it, but you’d have to be pretty determined to swallow it – it’s far too stiff to be appetizing. > > Second, bay leaf is not the first thing you find in a spice rack; many people cook for years without it. > > The issue isn’t that they didn’t know what it was as much as it is that they never considered it might be there for a reason. I guess that many cooks just want to rest on their laurels… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2018, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/77 "2018-02-27T01:28:27Z")
Huh, is celery maybe like cilantro, in having a flavor component that’s invisible to some people but objectionable to others? Because no matter how I think to describe the flavor of raw celery stalk, “strong” is never on the list. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/78 "2018-02-27T01:30:35Z")
Then there is the rare NYC, Philly & Baltimore regional treat, Cel-Ray is a celery flavored soft drink from Dr Brown’s. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2018, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/79 "2018-02-27T01:43:09Z")
Celery is a lump of objectionable, nasty texture with no taste at all to me. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2018, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475/80 "2018-02-27T01:55:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Huh, is celery maybe like cilantro, in having a flavor component that’s invisible to some people but objectionable to others? Because no matter how I think to describe the flavor of raw celery stalk, “strong” is never on the list. I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case. Celery is a common taste aversion, in my experience, and it doesn’t take much to ruin a dish for those who hate it, much like cilantro. Like i said, I like it, but it’s a very distinct flavor to me. I made some chicken broth the other day, and all I could think was, shit, I overdid the celery on this (and I had used two stalks instead of one for like two quarts of broth.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-leaf-in-my-food-8-o/809475.md?page=5)