"lettuce" news and stories

We've heard those stories of spiders being found in imported grapes, but this one is new to me.

A woman in Brooklyn, NY was startled when a frog jumped out of her organic lettuce. That's right, not only was there a frog in a head of lettuce the woman bought at the Park Slope Food Coop, it was actually alive, surviving the trip from Florida to New York.

As you can see from the pic, it wasn't a big frog like you'd find in a swamp or lake, but still, must have been freaky.

As a company, once you find a marketing strategy that works, you usually stick with it. Nike had the swoosh, milk has the mustaches, and PETA? Well, they have naked women.

Over the years, PETA has used women celebs like Alicia Silverstone, Eva Mendes, and Cindy Crawford to encourage the masses not to wear fur or eat meat. And while they've gotten a lot of flak, they continue to pay women to drop trou for the good of the animals.

Today in Philadelphia, PETA's "lettuce ladies" (women wearing little more than lettuce-shaped undergarments) will be handing out soy turkey sandwiches to promote the company's "Turn over a new leaf: go vegetarian" campaign.

A few points that should be noted, here: PETA rarely uses men to advertise its messages. It did use MTV Jackass' Steve-O, who was nude, but the ad a) only showed his backside and b) was quite obviously in jest, poking fun at the typical oversexed PETA model and keeping in vein with the show's brand of humor. Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix have also done commercial spots for the organization - fully clothed. Somehow, I wonder if the effectiveness of the message is lost when we're too busy ogling Pam Anderson's generous chest to worry about what she's promoting.

Now, I'm all for soy products, either as meat replacements or as an addition to a healthy diet. Isn't it fascinating how, in campaigning to stop exploiting one living thing, another is exploited in its place? Maybe PETA should stop pointing its fingers at others for a second and turn the magnifying glass on itself.

Food for thought.

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I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, a book extolling the virtues of eating locally (and the horrors of eating veggies trucked in from California, Chile, and other places far afield). Beyond simply pushing organic food or a vegetarian lifestyle, Kingsolver suggests that eating foods grown locally, in season, by farmers using sustainable practices can, basically, save the world -- not to mention, be delicious. I've swallowed her pitch hook, line, and heirloom potato, and have begun deeply rethinking our family's grocery lists. Starting this process in the dead of winter is a challenge, and "the sustainable food project" is my way of sharing the struggle with you.

The sandwich, a staple of my family's diet, is a particularly interesting problem. Were I to open a pictorial culinary dictionary under "S," I'd imagine a photo of bread, meat, tomato, lettuce, mayo. But fresh red tomatoes and leafy green lettuce are anything but in season in Oregon, where I live -- and the vast majority of the U.S. and Europe for the next several months. Because it's easy to find a sustainably-farmed source, we've been eating lots of beef, ham, and crusty local bread, but what else?

I've been able to find lots of delicious, flavorful options utilizing local, organic produce.

Though you could easily serve this for dinner, any "sandwich" that includes bacon, lettuce, and tomato automatically makes me think lunch. Either way, this twist on an old standard is enough to make me want to thaw out a steak and fire up the grill at noon hour.

Made without bread of any kind, this BLT Steak sandwich prepared by myamii at For the Love of Food is definitely friendly to those of you who are avoiding carbs but still want a flavorful, hearty meal.

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Writer and editor Jade Walker posts a favorite recipe on her web site every once in a while, and this month it's the Buffalo Wing Sandwich.

Buffalo Wing Sandwiches

1 pkg (9 oz) southwestern chicken strips
1 cup butter, softened and divided
2 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp bbq sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp parsley, minced and fresh
4 cups shredded lettuce
2 tbsp celery, chopped fine
2 tbsp blue cheese dressing (on the side)
salt and pepper
4 hoagie buns