Love Letters in Crayon: Asparagus
An early experiment in expanding our childhood palette.
Every Friday afternoon, “64 to Infinity: Love Letters in Crayon” will illustrate the long, strange story of humankind in one of the 64 colors that make up this world-famous primary palette. After opening up with Apricot, we continue in a culinary direction with Asparagus, a color enjoyed by humans in various (and surprising!) ways for millennia.
The inclusion of Asparagus in The 64, this seemingly ageless compendium of color, reflects its enduring presence in the pantry of our kind.
Asparagus is a plant with many parts, including a woody stem that can grow to over 2 meters (~6.5 feet) in height, a system of branching leaves, and bright red berries with the approximate diameter--and much of the lethality to humans--of a 9mm bullet.
In this way, Asparagus can give cause to celebrate each of our ancestors who lost their lives discovering through the purest form of science which parts of any plant were edible by our kind.
The vegetable’s dietary benefits are well-documented, with an abundance of vitamins and nutrients among them. Somewhat more surprising is the mention of Asparagus in the legendary Sanskrit text known as the “Kama Sutra” as an invigorator of the inner ape.
This entry of “64 to Infinity” is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, please consult your doctor to find out if Asparagus is right for you.
Perhaps for all of these reasons, the “elite” of antiquity have long prized its presence on a plate.
Ancient Romans transported these sprouts from their local origins on the banks of the Tiber River to a facility high in the Alps, freezing them for months in anticipation of the Feast of Epicurus in one of the earliest examples of this preservation technique.
Emperor Augustus himself even created a dedicated “Asparagus Fleet” for the shipment and handling of his precious cargo during harvest.
Asparagus is a close cousin to the leek and onion...in turn, these seemingly divergent specimens of life on Earth illustrate the extraordinary similarities between each and every member of our own human family.
Unexpected significance is easily illustrated through the Asparagus crayon, and now you see why I am obsessed with this color.
See, you liked Asparagus more than you thought you would huh? Next week we keep it delicious with a love letter to the signature shade of inviting bites known (in multiple languages!) as Bittersweet.
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