Iceberg ahead!
Regarding Jerry Minnich's review of Fleming's ('Wealth of Flavor,' 11/24/06) and his rhetorical question: 'Isn't it nice that icebergis respectable again?'
To whom, hospital dieticians?
Jerry, if you want to eat iceberg, even if you want to compare its lack ofeverything beyond textureto a blank canvas, be my guest. But please,don't mistake iceberg's appearance on steakhouse menus for overall respectability.
As Julia Moskin wrote in The New York Times, 'For food lovers, leaving New York City used to mean leaving a little island of safety.... Out There, restaurants served all-iceberg salads and Sanka.'
Madison has a serious food culture for its size. Is it responsible to slur our reputation with personal opinions just because you havea forum?
Rafe Montello
Jerry Minnich replies: I am darn tired of people dissing iceberg lettuce, which just happens to be the most successful head of its class ever developed ' 31 million cartons a year! A single serving of heart-healthy iceberg (55 grams) offers, besides satisfying crunch, modest amounts of calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, fiber and vitamins A and C, all at a cost of only 8 calories. Slur Madison's culinary reputation? I think it might take more than a head of iceberg to do that.
The Pulse vs. The Mic
WTDY station manager Glen Gardner invites listeners ofThe Mic 92.1-FM to give his station a listen as a progressive alternative (advertisement, 12/8/06). The Pulse is weak at best as a progressive outlet. Anyone who listens to The Mic and The Pulse knows there is a huge difference.
WTDY has Sly and Alan Colmes and (one hour a week) Joe Wineke. I suppose WTDY is not 'real progressive radio,' as Gardner asserts in the ad. I recently heard him andnewsman Tim Morrissey (who calls Brenda Konkel 'Pumpkinhead' and Juan Jose Lopez'Double JLo')blast the greedy, whiny, hypocritical liberals for moving Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller to The Mic.
As for local ownership trumping corporate ClearChannel,when we went to Washington, D.C., in September 2005, tomarch for peace along with 200,000 others, it wasn't The Pulse who interviewed my daughters in sight ofthe Washington Monument. It was JohnQuinlan of The Mic.
Bill Dunn
