“These look like cabbage. Tammy, don’t you think?”

“I hadn’t really thought about it. They could be floral elements.”

“No, they are cabbage. Why are they there?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t build the Library of Congress.”

“You don’t think it’s cabbage?”

“I haven’t formed an opinion yet.”

“You avoid the topic. You know it’s cabbage.”

“No. Just hadn’t thought about it.”

“You think. Then tell me why they are there. Take picture.”

Left: Decorative cabbages; Right: Stone detail on the Library of Congress

I concede that these carvings on the Library of Congress archways do look like cabbages. I can’t get inside the mind of the builder or stone carvers, but perhaps they admired the shape of cabbage aesthetically. Or perhaps they wished to use the carvings as a visual reminder to eat a balanced diet.  I don’t know. Perhaps someone who reads this blog could offer an precise historical account of why the builders chose a design element that looks like cabbage so that I can pass it along to an exacting Asian woman who longs to say, “See, Tammy, I told you.” regardless of the fact that I didn’t argue about it.

Else, we can all enjoy the coincidence.