Inside Out 2 makes broccoli dirty, and we should talk about it

Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is undeniably one of the most successful films of the summer. Unfortunately, even its billion-dollar box office earnings cannot, in my opinion, make up for one major mistake: the denigration of broccoli.

As in the first film, young teenager Riley detests broccoli. It is the food that first triggered feelings of disgust as a baby, and this continues as a gag in the new film. When she thinks of a disgusting protein bar, her stream of consciousness (which in from the inside to the outside Fashion… is a literal stream, of course) causes a giant broccoli to appear – which looks like a huge, unappetizing hunk of plastic toy. Disgust wrinkles her nose, but emotion has to jump up and ride it to reach the ends of Riley’s mind.

Image: Disney/Pixar

I understand that Riley personally doesn’t like broccoli and that everyone has different tastes. But Riley is a fictional character written by humans, and she is one of many fictional characters who hate broccoli. So I just want to know: Why is broccoli The gross, gross vegetables in pop culture? Yes, young children are often picky about greens. And yes, young children are often not served vegetables in tasty meals, but only as a side dish. But broccoli is disproportionately portrayed as the grossest vegetable! This in turn leads to children turning up their noses at it without really giving it a chance. Rude and, frankly, wrong, because broccoli is yummy.

I’ve loved broccoli since I was a child and it always baffled me when the characters in the shows and movies I’ve watched hated it. Have they never roasted broccoli in the oven at 220°C for 25 minutes and mixed with oil, salt and garlic? It’s delicious and crunchy and just perfect! Stir-fried broccoli with soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil? Steamed with lemon and garlic? It contrasts beautifully with macaroni and cheese, is a fantastic way to add a little extra health to packaged ramen noodles and is a great side dish to Chinese takeaway. It’s tasty, nutritious and very versatile.

Image: Disney/Pixar

Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables and I am tired of being unfairly vilified! Children in various American television shows, such as Bart Simpson and that Powerpuff Girlsturn up their noses at broccoli. And although the characters sometimes get over it and decide that they have to eat their vegetables to save the villain, it is still interesting that So often preferred broccoli over any other green. As a kid, if you said you liked broccoli, you were immediately considered uncool – which was always weird to me, since likes and dislikes aren’t supposed to be universal experiences.

In fact, the vehement childhood hatred of broccoli is not even widespread throughout the world; Blog posts from other countries question Why That’s a thing in America. The initial broccoli gag in the first from the inside to the outside Movie was actually localized because kids in Japan don’t find broccoli gross. It was replaced with green peppers (which I happily agree with, but mostly because I’m slightly allergic to them when they’re raw). As Americans, we should all find a new vegetable that is universally gross and revolutionize its representation in pop culture, because broccoli is damn good to be the disgusting vegetable.

I recommend lettuce: it’s basically just crunchy water. Everything that lettuce can do, spinach, cabbage or kale can do better.