Kate Lowenstein is a health editor
currently at Vice; Daniel Gritzer is the
culinary director of the cooking site
Serious Eats.I emerged a modern success story:
a vegetable that also qualifies as a
seed, a fruit, a grain, and a starch—
clearly the planet’s most credentialed
plant. I’m even a great source of heart-
healthy fiber, as well as a modest array
of vitamins (such as A) and minerals
(such as magnesium).
None of that matters a whit by sum-
mer, when you can finally enjoy my
essential version tender off the cob,
glistening with butter and sprinkled
with salt. The key word here is sum-
mer. Sweet corn is a seasonal crop
with a short shelf life; my sweetness
declines precipitously the moment
I’m picked, as my sugars start con-
verting to complex starches. Hence
the cookbook aphorisms about get-
ting corn lickety-split from the field
into the boiling pot—or, alternatively,
onto the grill (husk off for deeper
charring) or into the microwave for a
few minutes (husk on).
Some supermarket summer corn is
sufficiently sweet, thanks to modern
breeding and efficient supply chains.
But I’m at my best from a farm stand
or farmers’ market. Look for soft and
moist silks, and avoid kernels that
are overswollen or bulbous, an indi-
cation I was picked too late and am
exiting the milky phase, when I taste
best. Similarly, if an ear feels light and
skinny, I wasn’t yet ready to be picked.
And when the summer winds down,
buying me from the frozen aisle is a
fine option. I’ve retained my sweet-
ness, having been put in cryostorage
shortly after being harvested.
As if stacks of corn on the grill and
the million other things I’m used
for weren’t enough, I can also be
exploded into a fluffy white snack—
popcorn! I know, I know, I am a
wonder of form and function. But
having taken 9,000 years to go from
a meager grass to domesticated
goddess, I retain an Achilles’ heel that
makes me especially grateful for that
varied use: Without humans to spread
my seed, I’d vanish from the face
of the earth. In other words, I need
you and you need me. How about we
keep it that way?The Games People Play
My wife found out I was cheating on her after she found all the letters I was hiding...
She got so mad and said she’s never gonna play Scrabble with me ever again.
kingbrendan11 on reddit.comShe must have found out about your X.
grandkill on reddit.comrd.com 29I Am the Food on Your Plate