Against the Crunch

Thank you for your story on the perfect carrot (“The Quest for the Perfect Carrot,” Dec. 9). You hit a raw nerve.

I think it is tragic that this generation will never savor the true flavors of our many varied and wonderful vegetables. I am saddened too that our talented, dedicated chefs and food writers have succumbed to the fiction that a crunchy vegetable is good merely because of its consistency--disregarding taste.

The fear of overcooking has replaced good judgment. A certain amount of time and vigilance is required for a vegetable to assume its own identity and not lose it--neither celery nor mush.

Perhaps all is not lost. Your fine article gives one hope.

--RHODA HIATT, Los Angeles