Poor parsley. Its songmates sage, rosemary and thyme are all so much more evocative — each one brings a scent, even a feeling, to mind, while the ear just elides parsley. And who doesn’t love basil?

There are two kinds of cooks in this country, the reductionist in me argues: the parsley pushers and the parsley-ambivalent. I was led to that generalization through an exchange I had with a friend ...

Poor parsley. Its songmates sage, rosemary and thyme are all so much more evocative — each one brings a scent, even a feeling, to mind, while the ear just elides parsley. And who doesn’t love basil?

Poor parsley. Its fellow herbs sage, rosemary and thyme are so much more evocative — each one brings a scent, even a feeling, to mind, while the ear just elides parsley. And who doesn’t love basil?

POOR PARSLEY. Its songmates sage, rosemary and thyme are all so much more evocative — each one brings a scent, even a feeling, to mind, while the ear just elides parsley. And who doesn’t love basil?

Poor parsley. Its songmates sage, rosemary and thyme are all so much more evocative — each one brings a scent, even a feeling, to mind, while the ear just elides parsley. And who doesn’t love basil?

You’re ready to try a new recipe out and the shopping list looks pretty straightforward. Bread crumbs, lemon, parsley…Wait, that last one is a bit ambiguous. After all, the herb section of the produce ...