On the whole, I support buying organic foods whenever available and affordable. I welcome the occasional critter on the inner lettuce leaves; it’s his land, too. The sole, willful exception I make when buying organic is mayonnaise, because it tastes, well, weird—usually like stale nuts offset by an assertive tang.
I consider mayonnaise to be one of life’s great little flourishes, the condiment equivalent of a ruffle on a sleeve or dab of glitter on the corner of each eye. I’m also a Hellmann’s and Duke’s mayo lifer. I count on these products’ unfailing balance of creaminess, salt and tang to lend swipes of richness to turkey, ham, or tomato sandwiches, and subtle roundness to tuna salads and vinaigrettes.