Parsley

As school is starting up and many people are having to write papers once more, I thought it fitting to post one of my science reports from a few years ago.
 
WAIT! COME BACK!
 
I know I just said the dreaded words "Science Report", but if you just trust me and read on, I believe you will agree that this is not just any old dry, dusty report. It has life. It has spark. It actually rather stretching it to call it a report. :) Enough praise. On to the report.


 

Parsley

By Melody Beerbower, 2010

I was sitting at a fancy dinner party one day when, glancing at my plate, I noticed a piece of green plant with curly lettuce-like leaves beside my meat.  Am I supposed to eat that? I wondered, not relishing the thought; for, I must admit, I am not particularly fond of green plants.  But, having been taught to eat all the food on my plate, I gingerly picked it up with my fork, eyed it, placed it into my mouth, and chewed – instantly, I started gagging from its slightly bitter taste, but I managed to swallow it with the help of a glass of water.  After I had controlled my choking and gained my composure, I faced the table and realized no one else was eating their plant.  I lost my composure again.  Did I just nearly choke to death for nothing?  Then a disturbing thought crossed my mind: What was it I had eaten anyway.  Could it be poison?   I felt pains in my stomach. 

Suddenly I desperately needed to know what I had eaten.  I nudged my friend who sat beside me.  “What is that green plant by your fish head?” I whispered.

“Green plant?  Oh, you mean the parsley!?”

“Parsley!” I exclaimed.  “I thought parsley was the dried stuff you bought from the store and used to flavor soup!”  To my embarrassment I realized I had spoken aloud, and everyone was staring at me. 

“Parsley,” my friend explained in a superior voice, “has to grow into a plant before you can dry it.”  I blushed deep red.  “There are over thirty varieties of parsley,” he continued.  “The kind with the curly leaves, like the section on my plate,  is the most common kind.  You were right, however, it is an herb – most often dried, but also known as a vegetable rich in vitamins A and B, though it is eaten in such small proportions it doesn’t affect your health.  It is also, as you can see, use to garnish meals.  My suggestion to you is to buy a package of seeds and plant them.”

That’s exactly what I did, after I floundered through the rest of the meal, using the wrong forks and getting my manners all mixed up.  That was the first and last time I ever went to a fancy party.    Instead I went home and studied parsley – finding many fascinating things such as: parsley grows from the core outward which is what makes it look like a bush.  I also started a parsley farm, overcoming the bitter taste of the parsley so much that it is the main part of my diet now.  It’s only green plant I’ll eat.   You may think it’s weird, but I bet my vitamin A and B level is much better than yours.  I guess I have come a long way since my initial taste of parsley.  Now I line all my dishes of food with it and even use it in flower arrangements.