Stalk Talk

It's time to give celery its due

- VISHWESH BHATT

Is there a vegetable we mistreat and disrespect more than celery? Celery has to be the Washington, DC, of vegetables.

Let me explain, since I am now writing this from my tiny little apartment in our nation’s capital. Yes, you read that right. I am now living in DC! I have left my beloved Oxford, Mississippi, to take the helm at Chai Pani DC. Y'all can expect some very Indian-inspired recipes from me in the coming issues.

DC, aside from being the capital, is a historic city. It has a vibrant multicultural food scene. It has art galleries, parks, music venues, lively neighborhoods that are on par with or better than those found in other big cities. And yet...we rarely give the city’s food scene the respect it deserves.

Celery is much the same. It forms the backbone of many of our favorite dishes, but its mirepoix buddies get to shine on their own as glazed carrots and French onion soup, while celery, sadly, gets relegated to the role of sidekick to chicken wings or an afterthought on a crudités platter. Sometimes it is unceremoniously stuck into a not-so-good bloody mary. But as winter approaches, I am here to show y'all that celery, just like Washington, DC, can shine on its own if you just give it a fair shake.