I have an affinity for beets.

Humble on the outside, they are an epicurean beauty queen once you get to second base.

When you take the time to scrub away the grit and remove the old-man strands of hair (that by the way are no more attractive on the chin of a beet as they are an old man), you truly have a vegetable deserving of a tiara.

Who would ever think that such a stunning natural beauty could ever lie hiding in that unassuming root?”

What a surprise!  What joy!

To me.

Unfortunately, beets are not a fan favorite for the rest of the clan.

Try as I might to slip them in here and there, like olives and blue cheese, beets are eaten at my table accompanied by nostrils either widely flared or closely pinched.

And there is always plenty of heavy breathing that I choose to ignore.