Evidently, you can’t just toss some crunchy vegetables with a mayonnaise-type dressing and call it cole slaw. Well, technically that’s not true. You could, but then you would be subject to censure and ridicule. Like us.

It all started last Friday when we turned some leftover taco fixings into a light lunch of what we thought of as cole slaw. Primarily made up of red cabbage, our slaw also featured bits of radish, scallions and our signature slaw dressing of mayo, lemon juice, seasoned rice wine vinegar and a drizzle of sesame oil (very important). It was extraordinarily fresh and so delicious that we took photos, jotted down a few notes and decided to write this post.

At work a few days later, we were happily recalling the culinary events of the weekend to our fellow chefs and happened to mention the slaw. Our boss, a usually easygoing fellow whose approval we’d really sort of like, suddenly became serious. “What do you put in your slaw?” We knew this question had a right answer. We also knew didn’t have it. A truthful answer confirmed our fears: “Yeah,” he said, “I wouldn’t like it.” Our coworkers nodded in assent. That, Rachael, was no slaw.

At home, feeling a little deflated, we consulted a few books in an effort to gain insight into real, unadulterated cole slaw. David Rosengarten’s It’s all American Food--a comprehensive book with terrifically un-fussy recipes--revealed that while our slaw was not exactly traditional, it wasn’t that far off either. Cole slaw (or sometimes one word, coleslaw) comes from the Dutch koolsla, meaning cabbage salad. In its American rendering, coleslaw contains cabbage (usually white) and sometimes shredded carrots; the dressing is a mix of mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sugar and often, celery seeds or celery salt. Although this cole slaw sounded terrific as a side dish to say, barbecue fare, the traditional version did not inspire us to whip up a big bowl and gobble it down for lunch. We liked our slaw, and we were sticking by it.

In light of this new information, perhaps in the future we should qualify our own cole slaw with quotation marks, or--equally aggravating--name it something like Rachael’s Crunchy Salad, after cole slaw. Or maybe we’ll just call it cole slaw and everyone can calm down. Because the truth is, we rarely share it with anyone else so, cole slaw or not, it really needs no name.

A brief recipe for our slaw, and for David Rosengarten’s more traditional version are after the break.

Rachael’s Slaw
Makes a large bowl for a one-person lunch.
This coleslaw should be eaten immediately upon being made, otherwise it will lose its remarkable crunchiness.

1/4 head of red cabbage, finely shredded
several radishes, cut however you like
several scallions, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar (if you have plain rice vinegar, that’s fine, just add a pinch of sugar as well)
A squeeze of lemon, to taste
A drizzle of sesame oil, to taste (start with about a 1/2 teaspoon)
Freshly ground black pepper

Cut your vegetables and place in a large bowl. Add the remaining dressing ingredients, toss. Enjoy immediately.

David Rosengarten’s Coleslaw
Makes 6 side-dish servings.
David actually requests that you hold this slaw in the fridge for at least an hour for the flavors to blend, so plan ahead.

3/4 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise (or as we call it out here, Best Foods)
5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon celery seeds
6 cups firmly packed very thinly sliced cabbage

In a large bowl, combine mayo, vinegar, sugar and celery seeds. Add cabbage and toss well. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.